Stop Flirting!
by lilyvandersteen
Summary: Kurt Hummel is returning to Lima for the summer. On the plane, he's lost in his book and not paying attention to his surroundings. All of a sudden, someone slaps him in the face and accuses him of flirting with her idol. Huh?
1. Chapter 1: An Eventful Flight

**Author's Note: This is a oneshot for my 500th reviewer, wolfie204. I hope you enjoy it!**

**Update 22 October 2015: I continued this story for the Kurt Hummel Big Bang, and today is posting day. I'm so thrilled, and I hope you will like reading this story as much as I've enjoyed writing it. Please let me know what you think!**

**Heaps of praise and a big thank you to the best beta in the world, VoyageAsia/HKVoyage/VoyageHK, who kindly agreed to help me out with this story and with her advice and story ideas and guidance took this story to the next level. Thank you SO so much!**

**There is lovely art for this story, courtesy of pointless-lullabies. Please check it out on Tumblr (I'm lilyvandersteen there, too).**

**STOP FLIRTING!**

Chapter 1: An Eventful Flight

Kurt took a book out of his backpack, stuffed his carry-on luggage into the overhead compartment and installed himself in his plane seat with a happy sigh. Finally!

He was tired after burning the midnight oil for his exams and eager to get home and relax and recharge his batteries. However, he'd had to practice some patience, since his flight had been delayed for four hours. His back hurt from having sat on one of those hard plastic chairs in the waiting area, so now he luxuriated in the feel of the soft plane seat.

_Ah, this is SO much better! Now, where was I?_

Kurt opened the book on his lap, flipped to the page he'd gotten to previously, and as soon as he started reading, he was lost to the world as he immersed himself in the fantasy world the author had created.

All of a sudden, he was brought back to reality quite harshly by a slap in the face. As he hadn't been expecting anything of the kind, the slap made his head turn to the right and slam into something hard.

He winced at the pain in his left cheek and his right temple.

_What's this all about? A homophobe who feels threatened by my gay face?_

Kurt looked up, expecting a burly Karofsky-like Neanderthal, but saw an Asian girl barely out of her teens, with long black hair and beautiful brown eyes. She might have been pretty if she hadn't been looking at Kurt as though he were something nasty stuck on the sole of her shoe.

Kurt gaped at her like a fish out of water. He didn't know her from Eve and he'd just been sitting here reading, what on earth had she slapped him for?

"How DARE you?" the girl raged.

That wasn't very enlightening, since he'd already guessed she was angry. So he didn't say anything and just continued to stare at her dumbly, hoping she'd either elaborate or go away and leave him alone.

"Blaine has a girlfriend!" the girl continued, sounding outraged.

_Okay, wait, what? Who is this Blaine? And what does that have to do with anything?_

The girl was clearly waiting for a response, glaring at him, her arms crossed.

"That's … lovely," Kurt said lamely, because really, what was he supposed to say? He had no idea who she was talking about and what she was accusing him of.

The girl cocked her head to the side, marginally softening her stance. "You didn't know?"

Kurt shook his head mutely.

_Really, as if a four-hour delay wasn't enough, I get stuck on a flight with a psycho who assaults me and spews nonsense at me. Why me?_

"Well, now you know," she stated decisively. "So stop flirting with Blaine!"

_Huh? Flirting? Me? I was reading?_

Kurt's resentment at being slapped and then yelled at suddenly boiled over and he shouted: "I was READING!"

"Don't feed me lies!" hissed the girl. "You were giggling practically the whole time, so clearly you weren't focusing so much on that book of yours."

"Yes, I was!" Kurt spat back indignantly. "It happens to be a funny book, all right?"

"Yeah, right!" the girl fumed. "Blaine has been looking at you pretty much constantly, so this innocent act of yours won't cut it!"

"Oh, for the love of Gaga, will you LEAVE ME ALONE!" Kurt exploded. "I'm just sitting here reading. I haven't spoken to anyone, I haven't looked at anyone and I have NOT been flirting. I have no idea who this Blaine even is!"

The girl rolled her eyes and opened her mouth for a scathing retort, but she was forestalled by a warm voice next to Kurt's stating "That would be me." It sounded amused.

Kurt turned his head and his eyes widened.

_Wow, I'm really out of it when I'm reading. How did I not notice him sitting down next to me?_

Kurt remembered standing up to let someone through at some point, but he hadn't looked at that person, and wow, had THAT been a mistake.

The man sitting next to him was drop-dead gorgeous. Black curls, green and gold eyes framed with thick long lashes and a strong jawline dotted with just a hint of stubble.

"Blaine Anderson," the man introduced himself, holding his hand out for Kurt to shake. "Pleased to meet you."

Kurt blushed to the roots of his hair, internally cursing at himself for it, and shook the proffered hand briefly. "Likewise. Kurt Hummel."

"You REALLY didn't know him?" inquired the girl.

"I really didn't," confirmed Kurt.

"So you WEREN'T flirting?" the girl pressed on.

"No, I wasn't," snapped Kurt. "So you can stop stalking your idol and quit bugging me."

The girl bristled. "I'm not a stalker!"

"You could have fooled me," Kurt murmured, and next to him, he heard a quiet chuckle.

"My name is Tina Cohen-Chang, and I'm Blaine's biggest fan," the girl announced proudly. "I run a website dedicated to him, and I've been to all his concerts."

"Okay …" Kurt mumbled. "Can I go back to my book now, please?"

Tina nodded reluctantly and returned to her seat. It was clear to Kurt that she had been ready to talk about her dedication to her celebrity crush for hours on end, but Kurt was tired and disgruntled and not in the mood to humor her.

_This will make an amusing story to tell my dad when I get home, but right now I just want her to leave me alone so I can enjoy my book in peace and quiet._

He sighed deeply and reached for his book, which had fallen on the ground. Another hand proved faster, though, and dropped the book into his lap while a melodious voice caressed his ear: "There you go."

Kurt repressed a shiver, and his quiet "Thank you" came out rather shaky.

"You're welcome," replied Blaine. "Sorry about all that, by the way. My fans can be rather …"

"Intense?" Kurt supplied.

"Intense, yes, to say the least," Blaine stated.

"Paranoid?" Kurt continued boldly.

Blaine chuckled softly. "Sometimes, yes."

"Observant, too," Kurt mused.

"Mm-hm …"

"Why were you looking at me?" Kurt blurted out, and then wanted to kick himself for letting that slip out.

Blaine fidgeted in his seat. "You seemed to enjoy that book rather a lot. I wanted to ask you what it is about, only you were so absorbed in it that you didn't hear a word I said."

"Oh …"

"Yes."

"Sorry," whispered Kurt sheepishly. "I didn't mean to be rude. I just tune out everyone and everything when I'm reading. I assure you it wasn't a personal slight."

"I know," Blaine grinned. "Don't worry about it. Only, before you dive in again, please tell me about this book you're reading. I'm curious."

_I can do that …_

"Well, it's called "Feeling Sorry for Celia", it's written by Jaclyn Moriarty, and it's brilliant. It's about a girl called Elizabeth Clarry, whose parents are divorced. She lives with her mom, but she hardly ever sees her, because her mom works late and has all sorts of hobbies. So they communicate by post-its and e-mails and such. She doesn't see her father often, and his behavior is weird, because he has a big secret and doesn't want it to come out. And she has a crazy best friend who runs away to join a circus, and then she has to go rescue her friend. Oh, and through a school project, she makes friends with a girl from another school and gains a secret admirer in the process. It doesn't sound like much when I tell it like that, but it's an amazing story. Hilarious. The ideal read when you're having a bad day for some reason, and need cheering up. It's guaranteed to brighten your mood. The sequel is great, too."

"Sounds good," Blaine smiled.

"You can read it if you want," Kurt offered. "I brought more books."

"Really?"

"Yes, I don't mind, I've read it many times before," Kurt stated, and held out the book for Blaine to take.

"Thank you."

Kurt unfastened his seat belt, stood up and rummaged in his backpack in the overhead compartment to dig up another paperback for himself. He sat down, buckled himself in again and buried his nose in the book he'd chosen, but for some reason he couldn't really concentrate. He heard Blaine chuckle and felt him vibrate with suppressed laughter.

Kurt chanced a glance at him, and then wished he hadn't. Blaine was even more devastatingly handsome when he was laughing. His eyes sparkled and crinkled with mirth, and his smile took Kurt's breath away.

He looked away, and saw Tina watching them and glowering at him. He gave her one of his patent bitch glares and focused on his book again.

The next thing he knew, everyone was hastily getting up and taking their luggage out of the overhead containers.

_Oh good, we've arrived. I hope Dad got my text message about the four-hour delay in time and hasn't been waiting at the airport for long._

Kurt stowed his book into his backpack, slung it over his shoulder and left the plane.

It wasn't until he was sitting in his dad's car and telling him about the crazy fan that he remembered about the book he'd lent to Blaine.

_Oh … Ah well, I can always buy myself a new copy. It was getting rather tattered anyway._

A few miles away, Blaine Anderson was staring at the flyleaf of the book in question. "If found, please return to Kurt Hummel, 415 Whitman Avenue, Lima, Ohio 45802."


	2. Chapter 2: An Unusual Encounter

**Author's Note:**

**So here's finally Chapter 2! Heaps of praise and a heart-felt thank you to my beta, VoyageAsia/HKVoyage/VoyageHK, and my artist, pointless-lullabies. Please check out the art on Tumblr (I'm lilyvandersteen there, too), and please let me know what you think of the story. The other chapters will be posted later today :-)**

Chapter 2: An Unusual Encounter

**Tina Cohen-Chang** MrsAnderson 8 hours ago

Look who's waiting for the same flight I'll be on! BlaineAnderson What a coincidence … Not :-)

**Eileen Hughes** BlaineWarbler4eva 8 hours ago

You're going to the Columbus concert too? Yay! He looks so dreamy in that pic #epicswoon

**Tina Cohen-Chang** MrsAnderson 8 hours ago

I am, yes! Want to meet up before the concert? The usual place?

**Tina Cohen-Chang** MrsAnderson 8 hours ago

I know, right? How is it that he looks even more gorgeous every time I see him? I guess there's no getting used to that level of perfection …

**Tina Cohen-Chang** MrsAnderson 8 hours ago

BlaineAnderson totally remembered my name! And complimented my dress! Aaaah! Stick a fork in me, I am done …

**Eileen Hughes** BlaineWarbler4eva 8 hours ago

The usual place! Tiffany and Claire are coming too! #soexcited

**Tina Cohen-Chang** MrsAnderson 7 hours ago

Mr Teenage Dream BlaineAnderson has a sweet tooth! Just ordered chocolate hazelnut biscotti with his medium drip #dunkmeplease

**Eileen Hughes** BlaineWarbler4eva 7 hours ago

Wonder if I could make him pledge his eternal love for me with my cappuccino brownies … #agirlcandream

**Eileen Hughes** BlaineWarbler4eva 7 hours ago

By the way, so jealous that you get to spend so much time in Blaine Anderson's vicinity!

**Tina Cohen-Chang** MrsAnderson 7 hours ago

Well, it wouldn't hurt to try … Your brownies are world-class! He and Santana seem to be pretty serious, though :-(

**Tina Cohen-Chang** MrsAnderson 7 hours ago

No place I'd rather be :-) And he's SO nice, too #reallifeprincecharming

**Tina Cohen-Chang** MrsAnderson 4 hours ago

Our favorite singer BlaineAnderson has a headache, ouch! Tina to the rescue! Thank heavens my handbag is packed for the apocalypse …

**Eileen Hughes** BlaineWarbler4eva 4 hours ago

Ow, poor Blainey … Yes, release your inner Florence Nightingale! Tell him he can take a nap on your lap any time ;-)

**Tina Cohen-Chang** MrsAnderson 4 hours ago

Nooo! Why did you have to plant that image in my brain? Now I want that so badly … You're evil, you!

**Tina Cohen-Chang** MrsAnderson 4 hours ago

He looks so cute rubbing his temples though … Awww …

**Tina Cohen-Chang** MrsAnderson 3 hours ago

Finally boarding! Here's hoping my seat is close to BlaineAnderson's … #inevergetenoughofyou

**Eileen Hughes** BlaineWarbler4eva 3 hours ago

Crossing my fingers for you! See you tomorrow, sweetie!

K&amp;B

Blaine suppressed a sigh as he surreptitiously checked his watch. He'd been stuck at the airport for hours now, and he wished his plane would hurry up and get here so that he could board and leave.

It's not that he minded talking to his fans, or taking pictures with them, or signing their CDs. Quite on the contrary. He loved his fans, and went out of his way to make them happy. But this one girl had been pursuing him practically from the moment he walked into the airport, latching onto him and jabbering non-stop. She hadn't let up when he'd stepped into a coffee shop to order a medium drip and some biscotti, following him in and buying a chai tea latte for herself. She hadn't given up when he'd gracelessly plumped down on a chair in the waiting area, sitting down next to him. And she hadn't even left him alone when he went to the restroom, thankfully waiting for him outside rather than following him in there.

After a few hours of politely listening and nodding, Blaine felt like his head could explode any minute.

The girl - _Tina_, Blaine reminded himself, _her name was Tina_ \- cocked her head to the side and frowned at him.

"Are you quite all right?" she asked solicitously. "Your face looks so drawn all of a sudden."

Blaine shrugged. "I've a headache. That's probably why."

"Oh …" Tina rummaged in her handbag and perked up when she found what she was looking for, smiling brightly once more. "I have some painkillers if you'd like one. And here, a bottle of water."

The offer took Blaine rather by surprise, but he accepted the water and the pill with a heart-felt thank you.

A little later, a voice overhead announced that Blaine's plane was ready for boarding, and Blaine let out a soft sigh of relief and went to stand in line.

Once Blaine got on the plane, he found that the aisle seat next to his window one was already occupied. He asked the man sitting there to please let him through. The passenger stood up and made room for Blaine to pass without ungluing his eyes from his book for even one second.

_Well, so much the better. I've had my fill of garrulous girls for the day, and just want to close my eyes and take a nap, so Mr Bookworm can ignore me as much as he likes._

Blaine sat down, took off his cardigan, arranged it as a make-shift pillow and laid his head against it with a happy grunt. He let his eyes drift closed, and had nearly nodded off to dreamland when he was startled awake again by soft melodious laughter right next to him.

_Hmm, what was that?_

Blaine sat up straighter. There it was again, that clear silvery laugh. He glanced at the man sitting next to him, just in time to catch him laughing again, uninhibitedly. His book was clearly hilarious.

"What are you reading?" Blaine asked curiously, but he got no answer. Not even the slightest acknowledgement that his question had been heard.

Blaine studied the imperturbable reader. He looked young. Eighteen? In his early twenties? His impeccable outfit and perfectly styled hair put Blaine's casual wear and wild curls to shame, and he had beautiful creamy skin that glowed in the rays of the setting sun. He looked tall, with never-ending legs and a long neck. His ears had a slight elfish pointiness to them, and his jawline seemed to come straight out of a perfume ad. Every now and then, he pushed his black-framed glasses back up the bridge of his nose, and when he laughed, it made his nose crinkle adorably.

_He's stunning. I wish he'd stop reading and talk to me. I want to know more about him._

So Blaine tried again - "Can I ask what your book is about?" - but to no avail. Clearly, the man was so lost in the story that a bomb could have exploded in his vicinity without him noticing.

_Well, no matter. I'm just going to look my fill, then. With that serenity and inner light he exudes, he could be my muse for that new single I need to write. Yes … Do I have a piece of paper and a pen? I'm going to write down the melody that's playing in my head right now. It doesn't sound very poppy … More like a slow love song … But it's the kind of melody that you'd be humming for days after hearing it, so that's good, I guess._

Blaine was just working on the refrain and the bridge when he heard a slapping sound and felt something hard collide with his shoulder. He looked up and saw tenacious Tina standing in front of the man next to him, who was no longer reading. He was holding his cheek and wincing.

_What? Had Tina slapped him? Seriously? What for?_

The man was looking at Tina with a dumb-struck expression. Tina was quivering with anger, obviously livid for some reason, and shouted: "How DARE you?"

_What's her problem?_

Blaine winced at Tina's loud yelling. His head was still pounding painfully, and this noise level did NOT help matters.

"Blaine has a girlfriend!" Tina continued.

_Come again? This is about me, apparently? And I have a girlfriend, do I? I suppose she means Santana? Huh … That's actually kind of funny … Wait 'till I tell Santana …_

Tina crossed her arms and stared the poor guy next to him down. By now, the man was gaping at her, completely nonplussed. Then, when he gathered that she was waiting for some kind of reaction from him, he weakly offered: "That's … lovely."

Blaine's lips twitched and he suppressed a snort with difficulty.

_The guy doesn't have a clue what's she's talking about._

Tina had evidently been expecting more of a fight, and now relaxed a little, asking curiously: "You didn't know?"

The man shook his head, his eyes wide and earnest.

His obvious sincerity seemed to take all the wind out of Tina's sails for a moment. Then she geared up again determinedly: "Well, now you know. So stop flirting with Blaine!"

_What? Flirting? I wish … He hasn't spared me so much as a look!_

The man's eyes widened in surprise and disbelief. His patience seemed to have reached its limit now, and he no longer suffered Tina's insanity in silence. Instead, he shouted defensively: "I was READING!"

_You tell her, man!_

Tina didn't buy that for a minute. She'd heard the man giggle, _ergo_ he hadn't been reading but flirting, apparently.

That ticked the man off even more. He told her his book was funny, and that was the reason he had been giggling.

Tina countered that Blaine had been looking at the man the whole time.

_Have I? Yes. Yes, I have. Uh-oh, so sorry, book-loving stranger, I seem to be the cause of your present distress. Please don't hate me for it. I swear I'll apologize handsomely, if you give me the chance to speak to you before you dive back into your fantasy world._

Now the man started yelling too - _Ouch, my head!_ \- to demand that Tina leave him alone and to reiterate that he was just reading and hadn't noticed anyone nor talked to anyone, let alone flirted with anyone. "I have no idea who this Blaine even is!"

_Oh, allow me to enlighten you …_

"That would be me," Blaine purred with satisfaction.

The man turned to look at him with a surprised expression.

_Wow, his eyes are gorgeous! And his face looks even better in three-quarter view than in profile!_

"Blaine Anderson," Blaine clarified, offering his hand for Kurt to shake. "Pleased to meet you."

_At last, I get to talk to you … Thank you, Tina, however misguided you are._

The man blushed adorably and shook Blaine's hand, introducing himself as Kurt Hummel.

_Kurt. Hmm. It suits you._

Tina butted in again, trying to have it confirmed that Kurt did NOT know Blaine and had NOT been flirting with him, and seeming satisfied with Kurt's answers, though she took exception to being labeled a "stalker" by Kurt. "I'm not a stalker!"

"You could have fooled me," Kurt mumbled under his breath, and Blaine couldn't help but chuckle.

_Funny as well as handsome? I like you. Please talk to me before you start reading again._

Tina introduced herself, and started talking about her dedication to Blaine.

_There we go again … Please, please, whatever you do, do NOT encourage her, Kurt!_

Kurt seemed less than impressed with Tina's tales of fan worship, and even less eager to hear her talk than Blaine. He brushed her off quickly, let out a deep sigh and looked for his book.

Blaine beat him to it, picked the book off the ground and dropped it into his lap with a polite "There you go". He was rewarded with a quick glance and a shy "Thank you".

_Time to apologize, I guess …_

So apologize he did, for the craziness of his fans. Kurt didn't seem too shaken, however, calling Tina merely intense, paranoid and observant.

_I know I'd use more forceful terms if I had been the one slapped._

Then Kurt glanced at Blaine again, his eyes piercing. "Why were you looking at me?"

_Anderson, whatever you do, do NOT blush. I repeat, do NOT blush._

Blaine fidgeted a little, and then mentioned that he'd noticed Kurt laughing while reading, and that he was curious what the book was about, only Kurt hadn't heard him asking about it.

That earned Blaine another beautiful blush and a soft "Oh", and then Kurt admitted that he got so absorbed while reading that everything else just passed him by, and assured Blaine it wasn't personal.

_That's good to know. Thank you!_

Blaine grinned and asked again what the book was about.

Kurt explained the plot, his hands gesturing, his lips curved up into a wide smile and his eyes shining. That was distracting, to say the least, but Blaine managed a polite "Sounds good" and a smile of his own at the end of Kurt's explanation.

And then Kurt blindsided Blaine by offering the book to him, citing that he had brought other reading material.

_Huh? But you were reading it just now?_

Kurt seemed to guess what Blaine was thinking, and told him he'd read the book before.

_Alright then … Man, I haven't read in ages. I usually either work or sleep. Or eat._

Blaine started reading, and what do you know, Kurt was right. This book was GOOD. And laugh-out-loud funny.

When the passengers got the instruction to fasten their seatbelts for the landing, Blaine frowned at being disturbed, but brightened when he realized they'd reached their destination. He shot a quick glance at Kurt, who hadn't acknowledged the seatbelt announcement, probably because he'd left his seatbelt on the whole time, except when he'd stood up to take another book out of his luggage.

Blaine closed the book, intending to hand it back to Kurt when he got up, but Kurt, once he saw the plane had landed, quickly unclipped his seatbelt, grabbed his backpack and hurried out of the plane without looking at Blaine.

_Wow … That wasn't even a brush-off … He just simply didn't remember my existence, let alone the book he'd loaned me! Well, Anderson, a humbling experience every now and then will do you good. Otherwise, you'd just get too big for your boots! Only, how will I get this book back to Kurt? I wonder if …_

Blaine opened the book again and checked the flyleaf.

_Bingo!_

K&amp;B

**Tina Cohen-Chang** MrsAnderson 8 minutes ago

So I ended up sitting not too far from BlaineAnderson … :-)

**Eileen Hughes** BlaineWarbler4eva 6 minutes ago

Yay! Anything interesting to report?

**Tina Cohen-Chang** MrsAnderson 5 minutes ago

The guy sitting next to him was totally flirting with him. Poor deluded fool … Everyone knows BlaineAnderson has a girlfriend! #stopflirtingalready

**Eileen Hughes** BlaineWarbler4eva 3 minutes ago

*Gasp* Seriously? I hope you told the guy to BACK OFF!

**Tina Cohen-Chang** MrsAnderson 1 minute ago

Totally! I was so furious I slapped him in the face! He denied everything, though. Pretended not to know Blaine, can you believe it? #shameless


	3. Chapter 3: The Book Returned

**Author's Note:**

**Here's Chapter 3 for you :-) Enjoy, and please let me know what you think of it!**

**As always, a heart-felt thank you to my amazing beta VoyageAsia/HKVoyage/VoyageHK and my talented artist pointless-lullabies (check out the artwork for this fic on Tumblr!).**

Chapter 3: The Book Returned

When Carole and Kurt came back from their grocery shopping on Saturday morning, Burt was already home for his lunch break, which was rather early, since it was only a quarter past eleven. What's more, he didn't stay put in his armchair in the living room, but hovered around his wife and his son as they were putting away the groceries and started making lunch.

"What is it, honey?" Carole asked at last.

Burt sat down on a kitchen chair and let out a big sigh. Then he turned to Kurt and asked: "Is there something you want to tell me, kid?"

Kurt looked at his dad as though he'd just sprouted an extra head and answered: "Not really. What's the matter, Dad? Why are you being so weird?"

Burt gave him a piercing look, and then clarified: "Somebody came by the garage this morning."

Kurt waited for the rest of the explanation, but it never came. Burt just sat there, looking moody, so Kurt shrugged and went back to chopping up carrots.

After a few minutes, Burt hinted: "Aren't you going to ask me who stopped by?"

Carole smiled indulgently at her husband and asked, "So who was it?"

"Someone who came for Kurt," Burt answered.

Kurt looked up then. "Mercedes? I thought she was babysitting her cousins this morning. And why would she come to the garage?"

"No, it wasn't Mercedes," Burt huffed exasperatedly. "It was a guy."

"Oh," Kurt shrugged, his interest in the conversation already dwindling. He tipped the carrots into the pot to cook them before they went into the quiche, and started on the leeks next, cutting them length-wise to wash all the dirt out.

"Well? Are you so used to guys knocking at your door over there in New York that you're not even going to ask me who it was?" Burt exploded.

Kurt looked up and blinked in surprise. "What? Dad, no! You know I don't care about stuff like that. I'm focusing on my studies. A boyfriend would just be a distraction. Not that anyone would be interested in me."

Burt scowled. "I don't know about that."

Kurt furrowed his eyebrows. "Dad, just spit it out, okay? What is it about this guy who stopped by the garage this morning that has you so rattled?"

Burt sighed heavily. "Well, I'm checking Mrs Burnett's carburetor and all of a sudden, there's this very polite voice saying 'Mr Hummel, can I have a word, please?' So I look up and there's this guy dressed to the nines, complete with a freaking bow tie. And I say: 'I'll be with you in a moment, I'm still fixing this car here'. But the guy tells me he doesn't need his car fixed, he's looking for a Kurt Hummel, to return his book, and he shows me a book that has our address on the flyleaf, in your handwriting. Apparently, he came here first, but nobody was at home, so he drove away, only to notice the sign of my shop a few blocks away and figuring it couldn't hurt to ask after Kurt Hummel in the Hummel Tire Shop."

_One of my books? Was it that famous guy that sat next to me on the airplane? Why on earth would he go to the trouble of returning my book in person? He probably has money enough to mail it to me, if he wants to get it back to me._

"So he came just to return my book?" Kurt asked, perplexed.

Burt rolled his eyes. "That's what he said, yes. But he seemed so disappointed you weren't there, and when he mentioned your name he just lit up like a firework. So he's not your boyfriend?"

"No, Dad, he's not!" Kurt flared up. "Don't you think I would tell you if I had a boyfriend?"

"I hope so," Burt countered, leveling another penetrating look at Kurt.

Kurt resented that. "I would! Of course I would! Ugh! Don't be so ridiculous, Dad! That must have been the guy I lent a book to on the airplane. Remember? I told you about that yesterday. The famous guy. It's weird that he went to all this trouble to get my book back to me. It wasn't even new."

"Well, perhaps the book was just an excuse," Carole suggested. "Perhaps he wanted to see you again, Kurt. What else did he say, hon?"

"Not much," Burt conceded. "As soon as I told him that Kurt wasn't in the shop, but that I'd make sure he got the book, he handed it to me and said thank you and walked out."

"Weird," Kurt repeated. "Well, I'm glad I got my book back. Saves me the money for a new copy. Where did you put it, Dad?"

"On the coffee table in the living room," Burt answered.

"Good, I'll take it to my room after lunch. Thanks, Dad! It will be another forty minutes until the quiche is done, so you can go watch some television, okay?"

Burt grunted his approval of that plan and disappeared to the living room.

K&amp;B

At a quarter past twelve, Finn came home for lunch, his chattering girlfriend Rachel in tow.

The others were already sitting at the dining room table and were startled and none too pleased to see Rachel with Finn.

Kurt tugged Finn into the kitchen, cuffed the back of his head and hissed: "Why did you bring her along for lunch? You know she's a vegan. There's meat in that quiche, she can't eat that!"

Finn looked properly abashed and confessed that it had never crossed his mind.

"Of course not," Kurt sighed. "Okay, go entertain Rachel. I'll make a vegan salad for her. But don't you dare finish the quiche while I'm here fixing your girlfriend's lunch, Finnegan Hudson! If you want seconds, you'll wait until I've eaten, understood?"

"Yeah, yeah … Thanks, man!" Finn clapped Kurt on the back and slouched out of the kitchen.

Finn seemed to have briefed Carole that Kurt was making an extra dish, since he heard her proclaim that nobody would start eating until Kurt had finished preparing Rachel's salad.

"But Mom, I'm hungry!" Finn protested loudly, but Carole was adamant.

A moment later, Kurt heard a chipper voice come from the television, and he stuck his head out of the kitchen to admonish his dad and brother: "Feet off the coffee table!"

"How did you see that?" Finn grumbled. "You were in the kitchen!"

Both Burt and Finn obediently took their feet off the coffee table, and Kurt, satisfied, went back to the salad he was assembling, only to be startled by a shriek from Rachel. "Finn, careful!"

_What now?_

Kurt popped out of the kitchen, a damp rag in hand in case Finn had spilled something, but apparently, all that had happened was that Finn had nudged Kurt's book off the coffee table.

_Seriously, Rachel? Did you really have to yell like that because a book fell off the table?_

Kurt quickly finished the salad, arranged it on a plate for Rachel and brought it to the table. "Lunch time!"

Finn cheered, and hurried to sit down and help himself to a piece of quiche. The others followed a little more sedately.

They were all hungry, so not much was said the first few minutes. When Rachel had cleared her plate, though, she turned to Kurt. "Why was there an envelope addressed to you in that book? I wasn't snooping; it fell out."

Kurt looked at her, astonished. "I don't know. I lent the book to someone, and he brought it back."

"Oh, it's a he, is it?" Rachel crowed in triumph. "Well, let's see what's in the envelope!"

Rachel danced to the coffee table to fetch the envelope and handed it to Kurt.

Kurt stared at the envelope. "To Kurt" was written on it in neat letters.

_It must be from the celebrity I lent the book to. What was his name again? And why on earth did he write me a note? Bringing the book back already went above and beyond …_

"Well?" Rachel prodded. "Aren't you going to open it?"

Kurt shot her a mind-your-own-business glare and went back to gaping at the envelope, perplexed.

Burt grumbled: "Not your boyfriend, eh? If there wasn't anything going on, you would have opened that envelope by now instead of staring at it as if it holds all the secrets of the universe."

_Oh, for the love of Gaga, why is everybody harping on about this?_

Kurt realized that he would get no peace until he read the note, so he loosened the flap of the envelope and took the note out. When he unfolded it, something that had been hidden between the folded page fell to the floor, and Rachel was quick to snatch it up and examine it.

"A ticket to the Blaine Anderson concert in Columbus?" she shrieked. "We're going too, Finn and I! This is perfect! We can all go together and you can introduce us to your admirer."

_What? Oh, for heaven's sake!_

"You can forget about that, Rachel," Kurt said tersely. "There's no way I'd go to a pop concert. I bet you can hardly hear the songs because there is way too much screaming going on. What makes you think I would want to waste an entire evening having my ear drums pierced by a crowd of overexcited teenage girls? Ugh! Sounds like a nightmare to me. You can take the ticket and invite a friend along. It's all yours. I don't want it!"

Rachel pouted, and then perked up again. "So what does the note say?"

Kurt looked for his reading glasses and then focused on the note he was holding, admiring the handwriting.

_Beautiful penmanship. And he clearly used a fountain pen. Wow. Did he stow himself away on Marty McFly's Delorean and travel straight from 1955 to 2015?_

The message was simple and to the point:

"_Hey Kurt,_

_Thank you for lending me your book. I enjoyed it to the highest. You left the plane before I could give it back to you, though, so I hope you still live at the address mentioned on the fly leaf and I will find you there._

_I enclose with this letter a ticket to my concert in Columbus, both as a thank you and as an apology for Tina attacking you yesterday. I hope to see you there. I put your name on the VIP list, so feel free to come backstage to say hi._

_Blaine_"

"Well?" Rachel prompted.

Kurt didn't say anything. He just shoved the note into her hand and started clearing the dishes.

_Any minute now …_

And yes, just as he thought, Rachel started screaming hysterically when she got to the end of the note.

"Blaine? Blaine?!" Rachel shrieked. "The guy who borrowed your book and brought it back is Blaine Anderson? And he wants to see you again? Kurt, you HAVE to go! You just HAVE to!"

Rachel jumped up and down in her excitement, a broad smile on her face. Finn gaped at her and then at Kurt, not at all understanding what this was all about. Burt scowled at Kurt, while Carole smiled at him encouragingly.

_Ugh … Now they all seem to think there's something more going on than just me meeting this guy on the plane and letting him read one of my books to pass the time. Seriously, why would a celebrity be interested in me? And that psycho stalker of his said he had a girlfriend, so he's obviously not gay, and this is all much ado about nothing._

Rachel frowned as she re-read the note. "And who's this Tina, and what did she do to you?"

So Kurt related what had happened on the plane. Finn roared with laughter, but Rachel looked thoughtful. "So he looked at you the whole time, did he?"

Kurt shrugged it off. "He was probably annoyed that I kept giggling while reading. He looked tired. Must have wanted to sleep."

Rachel didn't buy that. "If someone annoys you, you don't keep looking at them. You poke them with your elbow and ask them to keep it down."

"Well, maybe this Blaine guy has better manners than you do," Kurt remarked drily. That made Burt chuckle and Rachel huff in outrage.

"So the three of you are going to a concert this evening?" asked Carole chipperly, and Rachel squealed again. "It's going to be SO much fun!"

Kurt shook his head decisively. "I'm not going. I told you so. Take the ticket and make a friend of yours happy."

Rachel looked as though her birthday had just been cancelled. "But Kurt, how will we get backstage if you don't come with us? I want to meet Blaine and tell him how much he's inspired me."

Kurt's eyes widened in horror when he understood what she meant.

"Oh no, no, no!" Kurt protested vehemently. "I'm not going to a concert just so you can embarrass me by demanding to be allowed backstage and annoying this pop star to death with your tales of dedication and devotion and no doubt asking him to duet with you to wow him with your talent or some such nonsense. No, no, no! You can forget about that, Miss Rachel Barbra Berry!"

Rachel looked crushed, and Finn glared at Kurt for being harsh on his girlfriend, but Kurt crossed his arms over his chest and refused to budge.

"Please pretty please?" Rachel tried. "And I won't ask Blaine to duet with me, if that makes you feel better, though I'm sure that our voices would sound stellar together, and that Blaine would be able to keep up with me vocally."

Kurt just raised his chin and attempted to tune Rachel out. "I'm going to make myself some mint tea. Do you want a cup, too, Carole?"

"That would be lovely," Carole acknowledged. "There should be some peanut butter cookies left in the cookie tin, we can finish those."

Finn cleared his throat uncomfortably. "Uhm, I ate those last night."

Carole sighed. "I might have known."

Kurt headed to the kitchen and reached for the mint leaves in the kitchen cabinet. He felt rather than heard Rachel behind him. He ignored her, putting the tea kettle on and browsing through the pantry to find something else to nibble. He found an unopened pack of Oreos.

_Carole's cookies are better, but these will have to do._

"Please, Kurt?" Rachel insisted. "I will buy you that Michael Kors watch you circled and put a heart next to in your new copy of Vogue."

Kurt turned around slowly, astounded. "It means that much to you? That watch isn't cheap!"

"It means that much to me," Rachel confirmed, her eyes wide and pleading. "Pretty please?"

Kurt sighed and capitulated. "Okay."

**Author's Note:**

**Just in case you want to try out Kurt's quiche, here's the recipe!**

**Salmon quiche with leeks and carrots**

**Ingredients:**

**1 roll of puff pastry**

**250 g of salmon filet (diced) or ham (diced)**

**150 g of Boursin fines herbes (or any other double cream cheese with chives/assorted herbs)**

**3 large eggs or 4 small ones**

**a splash of milk**

**1 thick leek or 2 thin leeks**

**four to six carrots (depending on their size)**

**about 100 g grated gruyere cheese**

**Preparation:**

**Peel the carrots and chop them finely. Cut the leeks length-wise and wash out the dirt. Then cut them up into ringlets. Cook the carrots and the leeks until they're soft.**

**Cover a baking tin with the puff pastry and prick the bottom of the pastry with a fork so that it doesn't swell up too much. Then arrange half of the carrots and leeks on top of the pastry.**

**Next, you add the salmon/ham and the cream cheese. Try and divide them equally.**

**On top of that goes the rest of the vegetables.**

**Preheat the oven to 180°C.**

**Now crack the eggs into a bowl, add a splash of milk and any spices/herbs you like to add (Pepper? Salt? Herbes de Provence? Fresh rosemary/thyme? You choose!). Mix well and then pour the mixture over the quiche. Again, try to spread the mixture evenly over the quiche.**

**The top layer is the grated gruyere cheese. Make sure it covers the whole quiche.**

**Bake the quiche in the oven for about half an hour.**

**When it's the salmon version, serve the quiche with some grey North Sea shrimps on top.**

**Enjoy!**


	4. Chapter 4: The Meet-and-Greet

**Author's Note:**

**And this is Chapter 4 already! Do tell me what you think of the story - I'm curious! A shout-out goes to my excellent beta VoyageAsia/HKVoyage/VoyageHK and my talented artist pointless-lullabies (check out her art for this story on Tumblr!).**

**Chapter 4: The Meet-and-Greet**

**Tina Cohen-Chang** MrsAnderson 8 hours ago

Aaaah! Concert day! Who's excited? #cantwait

**Eileen Hughes** BlaineWarbler4eva 8 hours ago

Waaaah! Today's the day! #flailingsohard

**Eileen Hughes** BlaineWarbler4eva 8 hours ago

Can't wait to see you all again MrsAnderson WarblerWife TotallyTiff

**Tina Cohen-Chang** MrsAnderson 8 hours ago

Me too, girl! It's been too long… You haven't posted any Blaintana fics either, lately. I miss them!

**Eileen Hughes** BlaineWarbler4eva 7 hours ago

Exams, you know. Nose to the grindstone and all that :-( I'll have more time now. Send me a prompt if you like :-)

**Tina Cohen-Chang** MrsAnderson 7 hours ago

Awww, thanks, sweetie! Write whatever you like, but I will love you forever if you make it smutty *flutters eyelashes* Pretty please?

**Tiffany Baker** TotallyTiff 5 hours ago

You'll never guess who just stepped into the Lima Bean for coffee and a muffin…

**Claire Hertzog** WarblerWife 5 hours ago

Was it Jake? Are you guys back together?

**Tiffany Baker** TotallyTiff 5 hours ago

We never were together. It was just a hook-up. Well, a series of hook-ups. And no, it wasn't Jake. I'll give you a hint. Superstar!

**Claire Hertzog** WarblerWife 5 hours ago

What superstar would come to Ohio? Oh! Was it a certain someone we're all excited to see singing his heart out tonight? Tell me! #thesuspenseiskillingme

**Tiffany Baker** TotallyTiff 5 hours ago

It totally was! And the worst thing is I didn't realize until he was halfway out the door again! #epicmissedchance

K&amp;B

Blaine cut off the engine of his rental car and stared at the house in front of him. He was crazy for having driven more than two hours to come here and deliver the book back in Kurt's hands in person, and then make the whole trek back. All that for maybe five minutes of conversation? Tops? If Kurt was even at home… Yes, clearly he was insane.

Santana had been quite vocal about that, and Blaine's manager Jerry had huffed angrily and thrown his hands in the air when Blaine refused to listen to reason. "Make sure you're back in time for the meet-and-greet, okay? Remember, the fans with a VIP package get to greet you and take a picture with you before the sound check and then get to stay and listen during the sound check."

Blaine had nodded solemnly. "I know. I won't be late, I promise."

_Well, better make this quick … Here goes …_

Blaine got out of the car, walked up to the front door and rang the bell. He waited for a long moment, but nobody answered the door. He pressed the button again and heard the bell ring inside, so it obviously wasn't out of order, but there were no footsteps. The house remained silent.

_Just my luck. Nobody's at home. Figures. Well, Anderson, maybe that will cure you of your latest obsession._

Blaine drove off slowly and regretfully.

_Small town, this. Not much in the way of stores and malls and restaurants. Hey … What's that? Did that sign say 'Hummel'?_

Blaine made a U-turn and drove back. The sign said "Hummel Tires and Lube". That was definitely the same name as in the book. Blaine checked the fly leaf, just to make sure.

_What are the odds that this store owner is related to Kurt Hummel? Pretty high, I'd say. It's worth the try. I'll go in and ask._

Blaine took the book with him and stepped into the shop. His footsteps echoed off the walls, and it didn't take long before someone noticed him. A very tall guy with a friendly expression came up to Blaine and asked how he could help him. "You can drive your car straight in here, you know, to get it fixed. No need to park outside first."

Blaine shuffled his feet and admitted sheepishly that he hadn't come to get his car fixed. He'd just like to speak to Mr Hummel, if possible.

"Oh, Burt's over there," Tall Guy pointed out cheerfully. "He's working on Mrs Burnett's car again. She really should buy a new one, it's old as dirt, but she says she can't spare the money."

"Right," Blaine nodded. "Thank you."

_Burt? Did he say Burt? That's odd… That's almost the same name… Maybe the Hummels have this tradition to give their sons rhyming names? Burt could be Kurt's brother. Or his cousin. Or…_

Blaine reached the car Tall Guy pointed him to, and all hopes of Burt being Kurt's relative died an untimely death. The man working on the car was about the same height as Kurt, yes, but all similarity stopped there. Burt was middle-aged and clearly balding, though his receding hairline was hidden beneath a baseball cap. His build was quite a bit stockier than the willowy I-could-be-a-supermodel-if-I-wanted-to vibe Kurt exuded, and his rolled-up sleeves showed that he was wearing flannel under his coveralls. His skin was nowhere near the remarkably clear hue of Kurt's, and his green cat's eyes, though striking in their own right, had nothing on the mesmerizing swirl of colors Kurt's offered.

Still, he could try. Maybe Burt knew Kurt anyway, even if they weren't related.

_Man up and ask him, Anderson, and be quick about it. You don't have all day._

Blaine cleared his throat and asked: "Mr Hummel, can I have a word, please?"

Burt turned around, sized Blaine up with a glance and asked him to wait for his turn, adding that it wouldn't take much longer.

Blaine, the hair on his skin prickling uncomfortably under the brunt of Burt's disapproving look, pressed on desperately, knowing that he didn't have much time to waste. "I'm not here to get my car fixed, sir. I'm looking for Kurt Hummel, and I was hoping that maybe you could help me. Kurt loaned me a book of his yesterday, and then left before I could return it. So I came to drop it off at the address on the flyleaf, but nobody seemed to be at home. And then I passed your shop, and you have the same last name, so I thought that maybe you'd know Kurt."

Burt's expression darkened even further, his eyes piercing right through Blaine. "I know him all right. He's my son. You can give the book to me. I'll make sure he gets it."

_Oh… He's Kurt's father? And I've already made a less than favorable impression… Ah well… At least the book will be returned to Kurt. Here's hoping he finds the envelope I put in it, and comes to my concert tonight. I'd really love to see him again._

"That's very kind of you, sir," Blaine gushed, and handed Burt the book. "Thank you so much, and have a nice day!"

Blaine walked out of the shop with a wave at the tall guy who'd helped him out earlier, and drove off, only stopping on the way a little further to buy a medium drip and a blueberry muffin at the local coffee shop. That would have to do as his lunch.

He could see that the barista recognized him as somebody famous and was racking her brain as to who he could possibly be. He didn't wait for her to figure it out, and left as soon as his purchases had been rung up, leaving a large tip.

Blaine drove back to Columbus as fast as was legal, and arrived in time to freshen up and change clothes to get ready for the meet-and-greet and the sound check.

"Hey Romeo," Santana greeted him flippantly when he strolled into the press room where the meet-and-greet was going to take place. "I wasn't expecting you to be on time, to be honest. What happened? Mr Flawless Skin and Big Blue Eyes already has a squeeze and told you to stop stalking him?"

Blaine scowled at her and hissed, "Not here!"

Santana rolled her eyes, but didn't pursue the subject. Donning a bored and disinterested expression, she listened to Jerry explaining that once the fans with the VIP passes had all been ushered in, a few group photos would be made first, and then they would talk with the fans individually and sign their CDs and pose for photographs.

Blaine sighed in relief at his narrow escape. He should have known better than to think Santana would let this go, though, for the second she heard him sigh, she whipped her head around and mouthed "Later!" Her eyes flashed commandingly, and Blaine bit his lower lip and nodded.

_Well, I guess it's her privilege as my best friend to laugh at me and say "I told you so!" I'm not going to tell her about the note I left in the book, though. With my luck, Kurt will probably just put the book on its shelf and not notice the envelope inside. Still, I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a miracle._

"Oh, come here, you sad little puppy!" Santana whispered, and enveloped him in a hug.

Right at that moment, the fans were shown in, and they cooed and snapped pictures of the both of them. Blaine saw Jerry smile broadly. His manager always liked it when he and Santana were mistaken for lovers instead of the best friends they were.

From the very beginning, Jerry had asked them to keep mum about their sexual orientation and evade all questions about their love life, so they both did. Still, it was clear to the fans that Blaine and Santana were close, and they kept speculating that the two of them were romantically involved.

Santana had shrieked with laughter when Blaine recounted the story of Tina slapping Kurt on the plane because she was outraged that Kurt didn't respect Blaine and Santana's relationship.

"Our fans are hilarious," she'd giggled. "I wonder what face that girl would pull if she'd find out you and I are both gay. I bet it would be priceless."

Now, standing in the press room, watching the stream of eager fans come in, chattering excitedly, Blaine felt his heart squeeze in fear. If his fans ever found out he was gay, would they still like him? Or would they be disgusted, one and all, and boycott his music and his concerts? He didn't know, and he wasn't particularly eager to find out. He knew he'd taken a risk in dressing up that morning to go see Kurt. It was an outfit Jerry would never have approved of, and he hoped nobody had snapped a picture of him to post it on social networks. He had just wanted to look his best for Kurt.

_All for nothing, since he wasn't at home… Stop mooning over someone you can never have, Anderson. Focus. You have fans to charm!_

K&amp;B

**Tiffany Baker** TotallyTiff 3 hours ago

Look how adorable! Blaintana forever! #drowninginmyfeels

**Tiffany Baker** TotallyTiff 5 hours ago

This meet-and-greet totally made up for not recognizing Blaine earlier. I told Blaine about seeing him but not realizing who he was, and we laughed over it together. #hessosweet

**Eileen Hughes** BlaineWarbler4eva 8 hours ago

Blaine is the sweetest! So that's what you were laughing about! I was curious…

**Eileen Hughes** BlaineWarbler4eva 8 hours ago

He liked my brownies, and so did Santana and Brittany! Brittany told me she loved my hair clips and asked me where I got them. She's a darling!

**Tina Cohen-Chang** MrsAnderson 8 hours ago

Girls! Girls! Blaine totally told me who his special guests are tonight! Guess who?! #basketcaseofemotion

**Claire Hertzog** WarblerWife 5 hours ago

How did you get him to tell you? Gosh, you totally got your flirt on, didn't you?

**Claire Hertzog** WarblerWife 5 hours ago

Anyway, who is it? Don't leave us hanging here… #ineedtoknow

**Tina Cohen-Chang** MrsAnderson 8 hours ago

There may have been some flirting *flutters eyelashes coyly* Anyway, get ready for more man candy because he invited The Warblers! #hotnessoverload

**Tina Cohen-Chang** MrsAnderson 8 hours ago

So the split WAS amicable, as I've always maintained. Don't believe those horrible Seblainers, they'd say anything! #crazynutcases

**Tina Cohen-Chang** MrsAnderson 8 hours ago

So stoked at the thought of seeing Blaine sing with Niff and Wevid and Sebastian again. So like old times… #excusemewhileiwipeawayatear


	5. Chapter 5: So Romantic

**Author's Note:**

**This is Chapter 5, and yes, Kurt is going to the concert :-) Now what will happen next? ;-)**

**A shout-out to my fantastic beta **** hkvoyage**** and my lovely artist **** pointless-lullabies****! You guys are the best 3**

Chapter 5: So Romantic

Three hours later, Finn, Rachel and Kurt were on their way to Columbus in Kurt's Navigator. Kurt was driving, and trying his hardest to tune out a hyper Rachel, who was alternating between singing Blaine's biggest hits at the top of her voice, speculating excitedly about who the special guest at the concert would be, and insisting that Blaine must be interested in Kurt or else he wouldn't have granted Kurt backstage access, and that it would be nice to have Blaine as a brother-in-law in the eventuality that Kurt and Blaine's romance withstood the test of time.

That last comment made Kurt roll his eyes, but he kept his opinion to himself. The watch Rachel had promised him in return for going to the concert with her, and then hopefully backstage, was gorgeous, and would be totally worth Rachel's insanity and the inevitable embarrassment she would cause him when trying to get backstage and accosting Blaine.

When Rachel kept alluding to what she called "an epic love story" and "love at first sight", though, Kurt had to grit his teeth to stop any snarky comments from escaping.

_Seriously, Rachel? You're making a far bigger production of this than is necessary. You'll see. We'll get there for the concert and you'll insist on being allowed backstage, and we'll meet Blaine and he'll be perfectly nice to us, but no more than that. Well, he'll be nice if I can get you to behave, and that will be an uphill struggle, I can tell! I can just imagine what atrocities you'll be spouting the whole time, and I'm cringing already…_

Too soon for his liking, they arrived at the concert hall, and Rachel actually squealed when she saw the posters hanging up.

"Rachel, stop that, please!" Kurt reprimanded her crossly. "I brought earplugs to protect my ears during the concert, so try not to make me lose my hearing before this mass hysteria has even begun!"

"Okay, okay," Rachel grinned. "Spoilsport!"

Rachel skipped off excitedly to greet a few girls she recognized with a big hug and another squeal, followed by an endless stream of chatter.

Kurt sighed and rolled his eyes at Finn, who just shrugged and slouched after his girlfriend. Kurt followed, wincing when a loud burst of laughter came from the gaggle of girls now surrounding Rachel, and internally debating putting his earplugs in already.

"Oh, here he is!" Rachel announced chipperly, tugging Kurt into the circle of girls. "He can tell you!"

_Wait… What? Rachel, what have you done now?_

Kurt was sure he had a deer-in-the-headlights look on his face, and he had absolutely no idea what he was supposed to say. None whatsoever.

"Well, tell them," Rachel prodded Kurt impatiently.

"Tell them what, exactly?" Kurt said slowly, trying his hardest to keep his temper in check.

"How Blaine invited you to come to the concert, and backstage," Rachel prompted. She sighed and clasped her hands together dramatically. ""Isn't it romantic?"

Okay, this time Kurt truly couldn't stop himself from rolling his eyes and huffing in exasperation.

_Really, Rachel? Do you WANT me to be lynched by a mob of hysterical teenage Blaine fans? If you do, by all means, carry on. Five more minutes of you spouting nonsense and they'll have their pitchforks at the ready!_

"I know you!" a loud voice exclaimed, and a girl positioned herself in front of Kurt, hands on her hips and her eyes flashing fire. "I KNEW that you were lying about not knowing Blaine at all!"

Kurt flinched at the volume of the girl's voice, and recognized her at once as the lunatic from the plane.

_Oh, great… I'm about to get slapped again, am I?_

"Oh, he wasn't lying," Rachel assured Miss Lunatic. "Kurt hates pop music. It's either Broadway or classical tunes for him. He didn't want to come to the concert at all. Told me I could give the ticket to a friend. I had to drag him here today kicking and screaming, I can tell you. But I wasn't about to pass up the opportunity to go backstage. I didn't manage to snag a VIP ticket, so this is my only chance to get to meet Blaine."

Rachel then let out another excited yell that made Kurt grimace and cover his ears.

"Rachel!" he hissed. "Can you ease up on the screaming, please? Honestly!"

Rachel patted him on the arm in what was no doubt supposed to be a reassuring gesture. "Okay, I will. Sorry!"

Miss Lunatic and her friends crowded in on Kurt even further.

"So you're the one who flirted with Blaine yesterday," one of the girls remarked, sounding both curious and judgmental at the same time.

Kurt clenched and unclenched his hands - _Don't lose your temper; that will make matters even worse_ \- and replied in a level voice that he'd been sitting next to Blaine, reading, and that they'd had a short conversation, at the end of which he'd lent Blaine one of his books.

"Huh," said the same girl. "And Blaine went all the way to Lima this morning to bring you back the book? Hey, that must be why he dropped by the Lima Bean! I was wondering what on earth he was doing in our neck of the woods."

"Focus, Tiffany," Miss Lunatic reprimanded her. "That's not important now."

"Sorry, Tina…"

Tina turned to Kurt. "Rachel says there was a note in the book. From Blaine."

Kurt nodded. "There was. Plus a ticket to this concert."

Tina's eyes narrowed. "Why did he give you a ticket to his concert if you're not into his music?"

Kurt raised a challenging eyebrow. "He gave it to me as an apology, because you slapped me yesterday. And as a thank you, for loaning him the book."

Tina loftily ignored Kurt's reminder of her violent behavior the day before.

"And he invited you backstage?" Tina continued, her tone both skeptical and outraged.

"He did," Kurt confirmed.

"Show me the note," Tina demanded, holding her hand out for it.

Kurt looked at her incredulously.

_Seriously? What business is it of yours? Why would I show you my private letters?_

Rachel, however, beamed and started rummaging in Kurt's bag, batting Kurt's hands away when he tried to stop her. She extracted the letter from the bag and handed it to Tina with a flourish. "Ta-da!"

Tina read it through quickly and hummed. "It's Blaine's handwriting all right."

Tiffany snatched the letter from Tina's hands and skimmed over it as well. "I think Rachel's right, Tina. Blaine likes Kurt. Oh, this is so romantic!"

Rachel giggled and chimed in, "I know, right?"

Tina scoffed. "Oh, please! Blaine has a girlfriend, we all know that. Don't start imagining things like those nasty Seblainers do."

The note had passed to the next girl, who bit her lip thoughtfully, but didn't comment, and then to the last girl of the quartet, who cocked her head to the side, considering. "I don't know. There always was chemistry between Blaine and Sebastian. You can't deny that. I think he's bi."

"Oh come on, Claire! So you think Blaine's fallen for this… Kurt, was it?" Tina sneered at Kurt.

Kurt gave a stiff nod.

Claire shrugged. "I'm just saying I think it's possible."

Claire handed the note back to Kurt, and looked him up and down appreciatively. "You have to admit they'd make a striking couple."

Tina huffed, and was about to start ranting again when a loudspeaker announced that the doors were opening and everyone could go in. The cheers that followed that statement drowned out anything Tina might have said.

Rachel waved to her friends and then excitedly tugged Finn and Kurt along to find a good spot to stand.

Kurt chanced a look back at Tina and the others and then wished he hadn't. Claire and Tiffany seemed nice enough, but Tina was still looking daggers at him.

Kurt closed his eyes for a moment, swallowed convulsively and took a deep breath.

_Okay, I can do this… It's just a concert and then maybe a meet-and-greet. Afterwards, I will never have to deal with this Blaine or his crazy fans ever again._


	6. Chapter 6: The Concert

**Author's Note:**

**This is Chapter 6 for you. It's quite massive, the biggest chapter of the lot... Enjoy!**

**As always: I couldn't have done this without my incomparable beta VoyageAsia/HKVoyage/VoyageHK and my amazing artist pointless-lullabies (you can find the art for this fic on Tumblr!).**

Chapter 6: The Concert

**Tina Cohen-Chang** MrsAnderson 2 hours ago

Was it just me or did Blaine seem distracted during the sound check?

**Eileen Hughes** BlaineWarbler4eva 2 hours ago

I noticed that too… His playing and singing was kind of on autopilot.

**Eileen Hughes** BlaineWarbler4eva 2 hours ago

Maybe he's tired? Or coming down with something? You said he wasn't feeling too well yesterday…

**Tina Cohen-Chang** MrsAnderson 2 hours ago

Oh, let's hope not! Yesterday, it was just a headache. Yes, maybe he's tired. He's been travelling a lot lately.

K&amp;B

Blaine stole away from the lounge, mumbling something about a bathroom break to Jerry when he raised an eyebrow questioningly. Behind him, Jeff was providing the perfect distraction by running away with Wes' reading glasses and hiding behind David, who played along and pretended not to have seen Jeff when an irate Wes demanded to know where Jeff was. "Jeff! Stop behaving like a preschooler! Give me back my glasses! And don't you dare drop them or crush them, or I'll have your hide!"

Nick and Brittany were giggling and egging Jeff on. Santana smiled at Brittany indulgently, whereas Sebastian looked both haughty and bored.

Blaine hurried away before Sebastian could see him leaving. Since he was on his home turf here in Columbus, Blaine had invited the Warblers as his special guests, for old times' sake, but as glad as he was to catch up with Nick, Jeff, Wes and David, he'd regretted his decision when Seb stepped into the room and reminded Blaine of just why he'd left the boy band and tried his luck as a solo artist. As soon as the Warblers had arrived, Seb had been all over Blaine, flirting for all he was worth and touching him in a way that was borderline inappropriate. Scratch that. Entirely inappropriate! But the more desperately Blaine tried to avoid Seb, the more persistently Seb pursued and harassed him, not taking a hint and not taking 'No' for an answer.

Blaine could only hope Seb wouldn't attempt any groping or grinding or kissing on stage. Jerry would have a coronary. He'd become Blaine's manager only after Blaine had left the Warblers and didn't know about Seb and Blaine's history.

_And I certainly DON'T want him to find out…_

Blaine dismissed the matter from his mind for the moment, and peeked through the stage curtains. He grinned in delight as he saw the room filling up with his fans, jostling to get good places near the stage.

_I hope Kurt is here. Let's see if I can spot him somewhere…_

Blaine scanned the room, and finally caught a glimpse of stunning glasz eyes, a stylish coif and a less-than-pleased expression.

_Kurt! He came!_

Blaine felt his lips stretch from ear to ear and his stomach swoop in delight.

Kurt had apparently brought company - or they had brought him. Yes, that seemed a more accurate description, seeing as the girl who accompanied Kurt was currently tugging both him and another guy - _Is that the tall guy from the Hummel garage?_ \- to the front of the venue, near the stage. Determination was written all over her face, and in spite of her diminutive stature, she oozed so much confidence and used her elbows to such effect that the crowd parted for her as though she was the Queen of England. When she had secured an enviable position so close to the stage she'd probably be able to touch him when he performed, she beamed in satisfaction and drew Tall Guy in for a kiss.

_Oh, they're a couple, are they? Hmm, that height difference seems a bit impractical. Tall Guy probably has a crick in his neck after every make-out session…_

Just then, Tall Guy picked up his girlfriend, who wrapped her legs around his middle, all without breaking the kiss.

_Right… So that's how they do it._

Kurt, next to the two lovebirds, was clearly discomfited by their blatant display of affection, fiddling with the cuffs of his shirt and looking everywhere but at them. His outfit was just as eye-catching as the one he'd worn on the plane had been: a blue camouflage shirt with a matching tie, paired with black skintight jeans that clung to those endless legs in a way that should be made illegal. Blaine drank in the sight greedily, forgetting for a moment where he was and what for, until a hand on his arm and a hiss in his ear made him jolt back to reality.

"What are you doing here?" Santana wanted to know. "We're up in ten minutes, and Jerry sent me looking for you. Be thankful he didn't come and find you himself, or you'd have gotten an earful. Who's got you looking love-struck and horny at the same time? Only you could pull off that combination and make it look adorable."

Blaine blushed and fidgeted. "He's here."

"Who's here?" Santana asked, puzzled for a moment. Then her eyes lit up as she made the connection. "Oh… Mr Cutie from the plane? Where? Point him out to me!"

"There, to your right," Blaine guided Santana's eyes. "The guy in blue, with the high coif."

"Nice butt," Santana approved. "Almost as cute as yours."

Blaine laughed. "Thanks, I guess. Let's go back to the others."

Santana looped her arm through Blaine's. "Funny… He looks like he'd rather be any place than here at your concert, doesn't he?"

Blaine's face fell. He'd noticed that, too.

Santana's eyes softened and she pulled him in close. "Hey… Maybe he's just grumpy for some other reason. After all, everybody loves you. You're hot, you're sweet, you're adorkable and your voice is amazing. I'm sure, if he isn't a fan yet, that your Energizer bunny impression and your charm will win him over in no time. Just give it your all. No moping, okay?"

"Okay," Blaine whispered, hugging her fiercely. "Thanks, San."

K&amp;B

**Tiffany Baker** TotallyTiff 2 hours ago

Meet-and-greet: check! Soundcheck: check! Found a good spot to stand, near the stage: check! Blaine: we're ready for you :-)

**Claire Hertzog** WarblerWife 2 hours ago

Is that Blaine, peeking through the curtains? It is! That's just adorable!

**Tiffany Baker** TotallyTiff 2 hours ago

I bet he's just as psyched as we are…

**Claire Hertzog** WarblerWife 2 hours ago

And there's Santana too! Oooh, she's hugging him again!

**Tiffany Baker** TotallyTiff 2 hours ago

Awww! They're so sweet together, aren't they?

K&amp;B

Santana was right. Jerry was far from amused that Blaine had disappeared just before the concert would start, and only refrained from telling Blaine off because there was no more time for it. He shot Blaine a look fraught with meaning, though, that promised a firm talking-to later. Blaine cringed internally and hoped that Jerry wouldn't mess up his chance of talking to Kurt, whom he hoped would stick around and come backstage after the concert.

_First things first, though… Showtime!_

Blaine wriggled his tense shoulders loose, fist-bumped the Warblers, who would stay in the lounge for a while longer, and hugged Santana and Brittany. By the time the band had played the intro to the first song, there was no trace of nerves or uncertainty left on Blaine's face. He bounded on stage with a million-watt smile, and threw himself into the music with abandon.

After a few songs from his newest cd, Blaine called on Santana to sing a duet with him, and the crowd clearly approved, with fans hollering "Santana, we love you!" and chanting "Blaintana! Blaintana!" at the top of their voices.

Santana quirked an eyebrow in his direction, which Blaine interpreted as "Want to sing another duet?" and he grinned and nodded, stealing a guitar from one of the band members to play the intro to the next song and then handing it back to sing with Santana again. It was a love song that was one of Blaine's favorites, but Santana thought it too sappy, and she rolled her eyes at him for making her sing this.

Blaine smirked at her unrepentantly and started flirting like crazy. He batted his eyes at her, snaked his arm around her middle only for her to sidestep out of his embrace, laid his head on her shoulder and gazed up at her soulfully until she shoved him away, and danced in circles around her, getting into her personal space again and again. Finally, Santana laughed and gave in, dancing with him until the song ended.

K&amp;B

**Tina Cohen-Chang** MrsAnderson 58 minutes ago

I love Blaintana duets 3 They sound so good together, and their chemistry is off the charts!

**Eileen Hughes** BlaineWarbler4eva 55 minutes ago

I know, right? Look at them loving it up… All together now: Awwwww!

**Eileen Hughes** BlaineWarbler4eva 51 minutes ago

Looking forward to the Warblers. It's been too long since Blaine has sung with the boys! #onceawarbleralwaysawarbler

**Tina Cohen-Chang** MrsAnderson 48 minutes ago

I agree. Not looking forward to Seblaine madness on Tumblr, though… I'll probably blacklist the terms Seblaine and Warblers for a week.

**Eileen Hughes** BlaineWarbler4eva 46 minutes ago

We can always counter it with some Blaintana love. I've taken some great pics so far. #spreadtheblaintanalove

K&amp;B

After a few more of his own songs, a Pink cover and a Katy Perry cover, Blaine announced that he would now pick a fan out of the crowd to sing to.

As much as he'd avoided looking in Kurt's direction, he couldn't help it now. His eyes were drawn that way of their own accord, and he beamed when he saw that Kurt seemed to be enjoying himself. Kurt was smiling and whispering something into the ear of the girl he'd come with, who gripped his hand fiercely and waved at Blaine, jumping up and down.

Blaine made up his mind in a fraction of a second. _Well, I can't choose Kurt or Jerry will have a conniption, but she's clearly a fan, so I'm going to pick her._

Blaine signaled to the girl, chuckled at the over-the-top surprised cartoon face she made and helped her onto the stage.

Blaine greeted her with a hug and a "Hi!", which she returned rather breathlessly. He moved to his keyboard, and she followed. He sat down and patted the spot next to him. "Come and sit by me, gorgeous. What's your name?"

"My name is Rachel Barbra Berry," the girl announced with much aplomb. It sounded like she wanted everyone present to commit her name to memory, for when she became famous too.

Blaine chuckled again. "Well, Rachel Barbra Berry, sit back and enjoy. This song is for you."

Blaine started to sing one of his older songs, an absolute crowd favorite. Soon, everyone was singing along, including Rachel, whose voice was so stentorian it overpowered Blaine's, but she sang so beautifully that he could only stare in awe.

When the song came to an end, he complimented Rachel. "That was absolutely beautiful, Rachel! Wow, what a voice you have! I wonder… Would you want to sing a duet with me? I'll let you pick the song."

That led to some booing from Blaine's other fans, but he shushed them and told them to be respectful and to enjoy this unexpected gift that was Rachel's singing.

Rachel beamed with pride, and suggested "Nowadays/Hot Honey Rag" from the musical Chicago.

_Well, that's certainly different… But I think I can pull it off. Let's give it a go!_

Blaine had fun singing the duet with Rachel, who pulled out all the stops and even started tap-dancing. That made Blaine panic for a second, but then he rallied and joined in, hamming it up a little and thoroughly enjoying himself.

Rachel needed no prompting to curtsy prettily after her performance, grabbing Blaine's hand as she did so. Blaine quickly bowed low as well, and they got a nice applause.

_No more booing this time, thank heavens._

Blaine thanked Rachel for singing with him, and gave her a hug and a kiss on the cheek before he let her go, seizing the opportunity to whisper into her ear: "Please come backstage with Kurt after the concert."

Rachel smiled hugely and gave him a tiny nod, after which she hurried off the stage and back to Kurt and her boyfriend.

K&amp;B

**Tiffany Baker** TotallyTiff 32 minutes ago

Oooh! It's that time again where Blaine chooses someone from the audience to serenade! Pick me, pick me!

**Claire Hertzog** WarblerWife 30 minutes ago

Aww, better luck next time, Tiff! Hey, isn't that the girl Tina knows from high school? The loud one?

**Tiffany Baker** TotallyTiff 29 minutes ago

It totally is! And loud is right! She's practically drowning out Blaine's voice singing along, jeez!

**Tiffany Baker** TotallyTiff 28 minutes ago

Blaine is so nice about it! I'd have a fit &amp; tell her to shut it, but he tells her she has a great voice &amp; duets with her! #suchasweetheart

**Claire Hertzog** WarblerWife 26 minutes ago

I know, right? I have to admit they sound good together. Even when singing some weird old-fashioned song.

**Tiffany Baker** TotallyTiff 25 minutes ago

Look at Santana glowering! She doesn't like being upstaged…

**Tiffany Baker** TotallyTiff 24 minutes ago

Is that girl tap-dancing? She totally is! And Blaine is copying her :-) Look at his smile! The goof seems to be having the time of his life!

K&amp;B

Blaine smiled when he saw an obviously overexcited Rachel gush to Kurt.

_Well, now I've done just about everything I could to get to speak to Kurt again. Except… Hmm… Shall I try out my new song? See what my fans think of it? _

Blaine conferred with his band for a moment and went back to the microphone holding an acoustic guitar.

"Thank you for being such an amazing audience this evening, Columbus!" Blaine praised the crowd, and they went wild, screaming and clapping for all they were worth. When the noise died down, Blaine smiled. "And to show you how much I appreciate your support, I'm going to share a song with you that nobody else has heard yet. I've only just started writing it yesterday, so it's still unfinished. But I want you to tell me what you think of it. Okay? Can you do that?"

The shouts and applause Blaine got this time around were deafening, and he grinned from ear to ear. While he started tuning his guitar, he kept up a running commentary. "So this little ditty… Well, I always get inspired by beauty. And grace. And things that are unusual. In a good way, I mean. Things that jump out at me, like a flash of lightning against a black night sky. And yesterday, it was a chance encounter that woke up my muse. And this is the result."

K&amp;B

**Tina Cohen-Chang** MrsAnderson 20 minutes ago

A new song? Aww, I love it! Slower than usual, but that melody is exquisite. I wonder what encounter he's talking about…

**Eileen Hughes** BlaineWarbler4eva 18 minutes ago

It's beautiful… And look at his face! It means a lot to him, I can tell…

**Eileen Hughes** BlaineWarbler4eva 17 minutes ago

I feel so privileged he chose to share this with us. Wow.

**Tina Cohen-Chang** MrsAnderson 16 minutes ago

I know, right? Brings tears to my eyes. #basketcaseofemotion

**Tiffany Baker** TotallyTiff 20 minutes ago

Oh wow! That new song sounds amazing! #bestillmyheart

**Claire Hertzog** WarblerWife 19 minutes ago

He looks and sounds like he's in love. But this can't be for Santana, right? A chance encounter, he said.

**Tiffany Baker** TotallyTiff 17 minutes ago

Do you think it's for what's his name again? The guy who came with Rachel the Loud Singer?

**Tiffany Baker** TotallyTiff 16 minutes ago

Kurt! That's his name, now I remember. Hmm, if you smash those two names together, you get Blurt. Or Klaine.

**Claire Hertzog** WarblerWife 14 minutes ago

Klaine sounds better. I don't know. Rachel may be right. Tina won't be happy if she is.

**Tiffany Baker** TotallyTiff 13 minutes ago

I know. But you can't really be jealous of anyone when they make Blaine look like that, can you? Awww… #lookatthosehearteyes

**Tiffany Baker** TotallyTiff 11 minutes ago

Whoever the song is for, they had better keep making Blaine this happy! #orelsetheyllhavemetoanswerto

K&amp;B

Blaine made a supreme effort not to look in Kurt's direction while he was singing, but as he sang the last notes, he couldn't help but steal a glance at him.

Kurt was staring at him, transfixed, with a small, awed smile on his face. The intensity of his gaze made Blaine tear his eyes away quickly, before he could embarrass himself. He still faltered on his last line, though.

_Anderson, focus! Well, I guess, since it's an emotional song, there's no harm done. My stumbling over the lyrics makes it even more authentic. Wow, they're quiet. Did they hate it?_

But just then, the crowd recovered from their stupor and let out a roar unlike anything Blaine had ever heard before.

_I guess that answers that question…_

Blaine could see several fans wiping away a tear, too, a clear sign that the song had moved them.

_Okay, time to call on the Warblers to get them all to smile and dance again!_

Blaine announced that he would now call his mystery guests onto the stage. "Please welcome Wes Montgomery! David Thompson! Nick Duval! Jeff Sterling! Aaaaand… Sebastian Smythe!"

The audience clapped wildly and catcalled, and Blaine beamed and hugged his friends one by one, clapping them on the back. Sebastian took that as an opportunity to grab Blaine's ass, prompting Blaine to hiss at him to behave himself. Sebastian just winked at him. "I'm making no promises!"

Blaine struggled to keep the smile on his face for a moment, turning to the band to confer with them until he'd composed himself again.

The Warblers sang some of their greatest hits with Blaine, who fell into step with them as though he'd never left the boy band, and thoroughly enjoyed getting to sing with them again. He was careful to avoid Sebastian after the ass-groping, though. Wes and Nick, who had noticed their altercation, helped Blaine keep away from Sebastian, subtly stepping in between them any time Sebastian came too near Blaine.

The Warblers' performance concluded the concert, but after bowing with them and disappearing off the stage, Blaine was called back by his fans' insistent clapping and calls for an encore, and agreed to a few bonus numbers.

After that, he thanked the audience from the bottom of his heart and took his leave, after throwing them his guitar pick and his bracelets.

As Blaine hurried toward his changing room, he found himself wishing fervently that Kurt would come and see him.

_I'm counting on you, Rachel. Bring Kurt to me!_

**Tina Cohen-Chang** MrsAnderson 12 minutes ago

Did you see that? Sebastian groped Blaine. Right there on stage! The nerve of him. Blaine is furious with him, and no wonder!

**Eileen Hughes** BlaineWarbler4eva 10 minutes ago

Whaaaaat?! I didn't see that!

**Eileen Hughes** BlaineWarbler4eva 10 minutes ago

It warms my heart to see Blaine sing with the Warblers again. I was devastated when he left them.

**Tina Cohen-Chang** MrsAnderson 8 minutes ago

I know… I cried buckets of tears. But he's always been the best of the bunch, and he does so well on his own.

**Eileen Hughes** BlaineWarbler4eva 6 minutes ago

Doesn't he just? Still not over that new song. Wish I knew who it was for!

**Tina Cohen-Chang** MrsAnderson 5 minutes ago

If it's written for anybody… Songwriters don't always write about their crushes. Paul McCartney once wrote a song about his dog.


	7. Chapter 7: Blown Away

**Author's Note:**

**Here's Chapter 7 for you :-) Will Blaine manage to win Kurt over? ;-)**

**A big thank you, once more, to my brilliant beta VoyageAsia/HKVoyage/VoyageHK and my wonderful artist pointless-lullabies (the art for this fic can be found on Tumblr!).**

Chapter 7: Blown Away

Rachel tugged Finn and Kurt towards the stage, mowing down all the fans that didn't get out of her way fast enough, and only stopping when her nose almost hit the stage. She beamed. "Brilliant. We'll be able to see EVERYTHING from here."

Rachel pulled Finn in close and laid a big smacking kiss on him. Finn quickly picked her up so as to avoid having to bend down, and continued kissing her with more enthusiasm than finesse.

Kurt grimaced and quickly looked away.

_Ugh, I hate it when they do that… And every time I tell them to tone it down, Rachel accuses me of being jealous. Yeah, right! I may have suffered from a temporary bout of insanity in my sophomore year and crushed on Finn because he was relatively nice to me, but I got over it pretty sharpish when my dad married Carole and Finn proved to be so horrible and homophobic when he moved in with us. We've come a long way since then, but I'll never have anything other than brotherly feelings towards him now._

Kurt put the matter from his mind by focusing on the concert décor. It was colorful, but too simplistic for Kurt's taste. If the lighting was similar, Kurt really hoped none of Blaine's fans present suffered from epilepsy. It was sure to be a riot of colors flashing on and off like Christmas lights on speed. Ugh.

Kurt spent the time waiting for the concert to begin imagining how he would decorate the stage in a more tasteful way, and devising the ideal lighting to go with that, understated but with enough dramatic flair every now and then to satisfy even Artie's exacting standards.

Thinking of Artie made Kurt long for his quiet room at home, and the unfinished psychological thriller script he was writing. It had a Hitchcock feel to it, and Kurt was very pleased with how it was turning out. Artie would have a heyday with the script, come September. Maybe they could even meet up over the summer to discuss the casting?

Kurt lost himself in wardrobe planning and storyboarding the script in his head - _we're definitely doing this one in black and white, and maybe with a 1940s look _\- and was startled when the lights in the room dimmed.

_My ear plugs… Best put them in now!_

The band members came on stage first and started jamming. Then two girls followed, a blonde and a brunette, dancing around the stage in a way that looked effortless but wasn't, if Rachel's moaning and groaning about her NYADA dance class was anything to go by. Rachel had practiced like a fiend all year, roping Kurt in as her dance partner until he, too, knew all the steps like the back of his hand, and still almost failed her dance class. So Kurt enjoyed the girls' flawless performance and clapped respectfully when their names were announced.

And then it was Blaine's turn, and the applause he got was deafening. Kurt praised himself lucky that he'd plugged his ears up in time, especially when all the girls in the audience started screaming like banshees.

_Seriously, why do they do that? Clapping, yes, that I can understand. But screaming is for toddlers who can't yet express their enthusiasm in any other way. So childish!_

Blaine seemed more than used to it, though, and the more his fans screamed, the more he beamed. He greeted everyone warmly and chatted a bit before he started on his first song. When he started singing, Kurt instantly understood why so many girls went gaga over him. Yes, he was easy on the eyes. Yes, he was clearly charm personified. But that voice clinched it. Blaine's singing washed over Kurt and enveloped him like a hug. Warm and buttery soft, going from a dark caramel lower register to a liquid honey higher register, Blaine's voice held Kurt as spellbound as any of the fans present. Kurt's lips curved upwards involuntarily, and he kept smiling until a few girls thought it necessary to spoil the song by letting out unearthly shrieks again.

_Honestly, even during the songs? If you can't express your enthusiasm any other way, can't you be polite and at least keep it in long enough for Blaine to finish his song, maybe? Ugh!_

Kurt kept vacillating between swooning and smiling because Blaine sounded so good, and contemplating murder whenever the fan girls ruined Blaine's performance with their insane yelling.

Blaine didn't sing solo the whole time. He also did some duets with the dark-haired girl, whom he introduced as Santana, his best friend in the whole world.

Santana had a great voice, too, smoky and sensual. It made Kurt think of a quiet bar in New York he liked to go to on Fridays, whenever he could spare the time. The singer there, a petite girl called Dani, who never had the same hair color two weeks in a row, also had the same huskiness and rasp while crooning out the old classics Kurt liked so much. Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, Ella Fitzgerald… She gave the songs her own spin, and they never sounded any less than perfect, soothing and reinvigorating Kurt after a busy week.

Sometimes, Dani coaxed people from the crowd into singing along, or asked if there were volunteers to duet with her. Kurt had sung with her a couple of times, enough for her to come and sit with him during her break. They were often joined by a tall dark-haired man called Elliot, who also liked to duet with Dani and sounded fantastic doing so.

_What would Elliot and Blaine sound like if they'd sing together? Spectacular, I'll wager…_

After a Katy Perry cover - _How does he manage to make even Katy Perry sound palatable?_ \- Blaine announced that it was serenade time, whatever that was supposed to mean.

"Oh, pick me, pick me!" Rachel shouted.

"Pick you for what?" Kurt asked.

"Blaine's going to pick a fan from the crowd who gets to go on stage and sit next to him while he sings," Rachel explained. "I want it to be me so badly."

"I'll cross my fingers for you," Kurt smiled, and then he outright laughed when Rachel took his hand in a bruising grip and started jumping up and down, chanting "Pick me, pick me!"

Kurt's finger-crossing must have worked, because Blaine looked right at them and then pointed at Rachel and crooked his finger to tell her to come on stage.

"Kurt, is it me he's pointing at?" Rachel asked, her voice high with excitement. "Is it?"

"It is!" Kurt assured her, chuckling. "Go, go, go!"

Rachel hurried to the stairs, and Blaine came and chivalrously offered her his arm to climb the stairs.

_A gentleman too, is he?_

Next to him, Kurt heard Finn grumble, "He had better not try anything with Rachel!"

Kurt patted Finn on his arm. "Don't worry! Apparently, Blaine's together with that brunette singer over there. Santana. I'm sure he's just being friendly."

"Huh," Finn huffed, scowling. "I still don't like it."

On stage, Blaine was asking Rachel for her name, and Rachel overcame her starstruckness for a moment to inform him of her full name, sounding very self-important and confident.

Blaine started playing a melody that was clearly very well-known, if the cheers that went up were any indication. As soon as Blaine started singing, everyone in the room sang along. Rachel, too, and though her voice was indisputably phenomenal, she sang so loudly that Kurt could barely hear Blaine's vocals.

_Rachel, honey, try not to make this all about you, however tempted you are… This is Blaine's concert, not yours!_

Blaine, however, seemed simply delighted that the fan he'd chosen had such an incredible voice, and offered to sing a duet with her. "I'll let you pick the song."

_Uh-oh… You shouldn't have said that… Now Rachel will probably pick a Broadway tune, and you won't know the song at all, Mr Top Forty._

And yes, Rachel, true to form, chose a song from a musical, but Blaine didn't falter for so much as a second, pleasantly surprising Kurt by knowing all the words to Nowadays/Hot Honey Rag. Even when Rachel went all-out and included a tap-dancing routine into her performance, Blaine wasn't daunted. He grinned from ear to ear and started tap-dancing too.

_Wow… A man of many talents! He isn't half bad… _

When their duet was over, Rachel took Blaine's hand and curtsied as he bowed. The crowd applauded appreciatively, and Kurt let out a sigh of relief and clapped hard as well. The fans had booed when Blaine announced the duet, but Blaine had been quick to shush them and tell them to be nice and respectful, and clearly, they'd received the message.

Rachel's face shone like the sun, her smile growing impossibly larger when Blaine hugged her and kissed her on the cheek before he escorted her off the stairs again.

Rachel bounded up to Kurt and Finn, looking very happy and starry-eyed.

"That was AMAZING!" Rachel gushed, throwing her arms around Finn and puckering up for a kiss.

Kurt smiled indulgently. "I'm glad you got your meeting and your duet with Blaine. Now we won't have to harass the security guards to let us backstage. We can just go straight home after the concert."

"What?" Rachel yelled. "No, no, no! You HAVE to go backstage. Blaine asked me to make sure you came backstage after the concert. He wants to see you."

Kurt raised an eyebrow and gave her a disbelieving and unamused look.

"No, seriously!" Rachel insisted. "I wouldn't lie about this, I swear. He made me promise."

_Meaning: I want to see Blaine again, whatever it takes, to gush to him and embarrass Kurt, if at all possible. Ah well… I did promise to see this through, so I will._

Kurt nodded. "Okay."

That made Rachel beam and then turn to the stage again. "Oh," she whispered, "an acoustic number!"

And yes, Blaine was holding an acoustic guitar, and for the first time since the concert had started, he gave off an uncertain and hesitant vibe.

Blaine stepped up to the microphone and thanked the crowd for their effervescent presence and support, and then announced that he wanted to try out a song he'd only just started writing, to see what his fans thought of it.

The audience liked that. They liked it so much that it took a full five minutes until the noise died down enough for Blaine to continue his introduction of the song, which he said was inspired by a chance encounter the day before.

Blaine started playing on the guitar, and oh, that melody was exquisite. Memorable, too. Kurt could imagine himself humming it.

And then Blaine opened his mouth and sang, and Kurt was just blown away. This was not a pop tune like all the other songs Blaine had performed so far. It was delicate and deeply moving, and Blaine was clearly pouring his whole heart and soul into it.

"**What if…**

**What if I'm the one for you?**

**And you're the one for me?**

**What if…**"

Just like Kurt, the crowd was stunned speechless, and for once, there were no obnoxious screams. When the song ended, you could hear a pin drop. The silence lingered on for a full minute, and then the fans raised the roof with their clapping and hollering, and for once, Kurt did not feel disdain towards them, but clapped as hard and as fast as he could, smiling like a loon and feeling like he could float away any minute now.

_Wow… That was almost otherworldly in its beauty. Yep. I think it's safe to say that I'm a fan now, too. _

Kurt had no idea what Blaine could possibly pull out of his hat to top that, but again Blaine surprised him in a positive way, by announcing 'mystery guests', who turned out to be The Warblers, a boy band even Kurt had heard of.

Next to him, Rachel yelled deafeningly, and Kurt threw her a deadly glare. She laughed and shrugged apologetically. "Sorry, sorry… This is the first Blaine has sung with them since he left the band. Oh, I'm so excited! Best concert EVER!"

The Warblers came on stage one by one and gave Blaine a brotherly hug, except the last guy, who under the guise of a hug plastered himself against Blaine and grabbed his butt. Blaine lost his stage smile for a moment then, both shock and disgust predominant on his face, followed by rage. He was quick to smile again, but Kurt had seen enough. It made his stomach roil uncomfortably.

_Homophobic, is he? I hope Rachel doesn't say anything to BLAINE about epic romances and happily-ever-afters when we go backstage after the concert. That's all I need, to be beaten up by some superstar who feels threatened by a gay fan. Why did I ever say yes to this? That watch is not worth a gay bashing! Maybe if I keep my distance and don't say a thing, Blaine will realize it's just Rachel being silly. I hope so. Ugh. I wish I was safe at home._

Kurt did enjoy the Warblers' set, however. Their footwork was flawless, their voices blended beautifully and the songs were upbeat and made the crowd sing along happily, though not always in tune.

They let Blaine take the lead vocals on "Raise Your Glass" and "Hey Soul Sister", and Kurt sniggered when he heard Blaine sing "I'm so gangster, I'm so thug".

_You think so, honey? I've never seen anyone who looked LESS like a gangster or a thug than you do, even with your beard of two days._

After "Hey Soul Sister", Blaine blended into the background and let two others do the honors. Nick, a short brunet with a sunshiny smile, sang "Uptown Girl" and managed to make it sound fresh again and even a little bluesy here and there. Sebastian, whose advances Blaine had deemed so unwelcome, concluded the Warblers' set, and apparently the concert, too, with "Glad You Came".

_Fitting as the last song, I agree. His voice is nothing to Blaine's, though. And he's rather too cocky for my taste. Looks handsome and hot, yes, but he's far too aware of it._

Kurt applauded politely when all six men bowed and then left the stage, along with Santana and Brittany and the band members.

_Okay, the concert is over. Now let's get backstage and get this over with._

Kurt turned to Rachel, but she showed no intention of leaving, clapping on and on rhythmically, as the other fans did. And then some people starting shouting "Encore, encore!" until the whole crowd was chanting that they wanted more.

And Blaine did come back, on his own. He sang "Shout", getting the audience to sing along, "Piano Man", which Kurt thought very apt, and finally "Teenage Dream". It was a much slower and more emotional version of the Katy Perry hit, and it touched Kurt. Yes, though he knew his classics, Blaine was clearly a pop singer, but he managed to infuse even the most vapid of songs with new meaning.

_He may be a homophobe, but he's talented. Very much so. _

After "Teenage Dream", Blaine thanked his fans, but made it very clear that he wasn't going to sing again. Then, when his fans made the most forlorn faces and noises, he flashed a smile and threw some things into the crowd. Loud cheers went up, and Blaine took one last bow, waved and disappeared.

_Okay… Let's get this show on the road, shall we?_

**Author's Note: **

**The song quoted in this chapter is "What If", by Jason Derulo. Imagine Blaine giving this song the acoustic, slowed down treatment, like he did for "Teenage Dream".**


	8. Chapter 8: Glad You Came

**Author's Note:**

**My sincerest gratitude goes out to my marvelous beta VoyageAsia/ hkvoyage and my phenomenal artist pointless-lullabies . Thank you so much!**

**This was my beta's favourite chapter :-) I hope you will like it just as much :-)**

Chapter 8: Glad You Came

**Tina Cohen-Chang** MrsAnderson an hour ago

Security let Rachel and Kurt go backstage, so that letter was legit all right.

**Eileen Hughes** BlaineWarbler4eva an hour ago

Maybe Rachel was right about Blaine liking Kurt?

**Tiffany Baker** TotallyTiff an hour ago

I think so, and I'll bet the song was for Kurt, too. #sojealousrightnow

**Tina Cohen-Chang** MrsAnderson 56 minutes ago

Seriously, girls? Don't forget Blaine's with Santana!

**Eileen Hughes** BlaineWarbler4eva 54 minutes ago

Well… Blaine's never actually come out and said so, has he?

**Tina Cohen-Chang** MrsAnderson 51 minutes ago

They're clearly together. Blaine was flirting with Santana like crazy on stage.

**Tiffany Baker** TotallyTiff 45 minutes ago

Yes, but that love song… It wasn't for Santana. A chance encounter, he said.

**Tina Cohen-Chang** MrsAnderson 44 minutes ago

Blaine's not gay! End of story.

K&amp;B

As expected, Jerry let Blaine have it as soon as he stepped off the stage, and followed him into his changing room, reproaching him unprofessional behavior. Finally, Jerry ended his tirade with, "Well, I'll let it slip this once, but don't ever let it happen again, you hear me? I won't stand for this. If you start acting out and behaving like an unpredictable teenager, I'm out."

_Yeah, right… I'm your goose laying golden eggs. No way are you letting me go. I wish. Hey… I wish? Yes. Yes, I want to get rid of you. You're a good manager, but you're stifling me. You're not letting me be myself. You want me to pose as the boy next door, as the perfect son-in-law, as Prince Charming. But I'm not. And maybe I should work up the courage to show the public just who I am. Regardless of the consequences._

Blaine must have pulled a very concerned face, because the next thing he knew, Jerry's eyes softened. "Hey now… Maybe I shouldn't have been so harsh. Your concert was perfect, and that new song is really something. Sticks in your head. Just… Don't make me worry so much about you again, okay? I was biting my nails thinking you wouldn't make it to the meet-and-greet, and then I almost tore my hair out when I couldn't find you just before the concert. But I suppose it was just an upset stomach. You looked a bit peaky when you came back."

Blaine just nodded, and Jerry clapped him on the back and left.

Blaine quickly stripped off his clothes and stepped into the shower, only to back away with a scream when he saw it was already occupied.

"Hey killer," Sebastian grinned, leaning against the shower wall casually, flaunting his naked body. "No need to scream and cover yourself up. It's nothing I haven't seen before."

"Out!" Blaine yelled. "We are over, and that's FINAL. Stop flirting with me, stop touching me, stop these ridiculous attempts to seduce me. I'm NOT interested, nor will I ever be. You had your chance with me, and you blew it. If you wanted me for keeps, you should have stuck to just me instead of screwing around. OUT!"

Sebastian's confident smirk faltered for a moment. Then it came back full force, and Sebastian stepped out of the shower and bent over to pick up his clothes, peeking over his shoulder to see if Blaine was checking out his ass.

Blaine just looked at him stony-faced, and Sebastian shrugged, putting his pants and shirt on and leaving the dressing room without another word, his fly still open and his buttons undone.

Blaine took a quick shower and put on a red polo shirt and black jeans. He ran his hands through his curls and sighed.

_Better not waste time styling my hair… I don't want to risk missing out on seeing Kurt because I dawdled for too long._

Blaine hurried to the lounge, where he found Brittany and Santana and all the Warblers, minus Sebastian, who was probably sulking in the Warblers' dressing room. And in their midst, in pride of place between Santana and Niff, sat Kurt, with Rachel and her boyfriend.

Jeff was gushing to Rachel that he'd very much enjoyed hearing her sing and that he'd love to tap dance with her sometime, and Rachel soaked it all up, her eyes shining and her chin proudly up.

Kurt had a harder time of it with Santana, who seemed intent on grilling him thoroughly to determine if Kurt was worthy of her best friend. Though Blaine appreciated her good intentions, he shuddered at the thought of Santana asking Kurt all sorts of invasive questions, and made a beeline for her before she could get to the riskier stuff.

Santana was still at the general introduction part, thankfully, or what passed for general in Santana's eyes. "So with a voice like that, you must be gay, right?"

Kurt's eyes flashed, but he nodded stiffly. "I'm gay, yes."

"Oh, great," Santana grinned. "Blaine hasn't got the best track record on that count, you see. He's had several crushes on straight guys."

_Thanks for that, Santana! I was eleven, twelve and fourteen respectively at the time I had those crushes, and my gaydar wasn't fine-tuned yet, so cut me some slack, will you?_

Kurt looked at Santana wide-eyed, as though she'd said something that surprised him.

Santana continued her interrogation. "How many boyfriends have you had so far? Always had safe sex, I hope?"

Now Kurt looked both offended and grossed out.

_Time to make my presence known…_

"Kurt! Rachel! You came!" Blaine shouted enthusiastically, and everyone looked up and smiled at him, even Kurt, though his smile was tentative at best.

"And who's your boyfriend, Rachel?" Blaine continued.

Rachel beamed and introduced her boyfriend, who was indeed the tall guy from the Hummel garage, as Finn Hudson.

"Nice to formally meet you, Finn!" Blaine said, holding out his hand for Finn to shake. Finn gave him a very firm handshake, almost squeezing Blaine's fingers to a pulp.

_Jealous boyfriend, are you? No worries, Finn! I'm not interested in Rachel, except maybe as a friend._

"Blaine, Blaine, guess what?" Jeff yelled, bouncing up and down on his seat.

"What?" Blaine grinned.

"Rachel here goes to NYADA! You applied too, remember?"

Blaine nodded, his easy grin slipping slightly. He'd applied and gotten in, but just that summer, the Warblers, who had won an a capella singing group television contest, did a concert tour and became a pop sensation overnight. So Blaine, who was their front man at the time, had regretfully given up his place at NYADA and continued touring with the Warblers for several years, until he split up with Sebastian and left the boy band to record a solo album and tour on his own.

Sometimes Blaine wondered where he'd be now if he'd gone to NYADA. He would have graduated last year, and maybe he would have had a small part in a Broadway play by now. He could imagine playing alongside Rachel, and smiled at the thought.

"No wonder you're such an amazing singer and dancer!" Blaine complimented Rachel. "That school is hard to get into."

Kurt rolled his eyes and muttered something under his breath about Rachel's head being big enough already and to please stop inflating it further.

Rachel elbowed him in the ribs, and nodded smugly at Blaine. "You applied and didn't get in, I suppose?"

Kurt looked aghast at Rachel's bluntness, and the Warblers let out a collective gasp of indignation.

"I beg your pardon?" said Wes, his eyebrows shooting up.

"Blaine nailed his audition!" David shouted, incensed.

"Madame Tibideaux told him straightaway he was in," Nick added proudly, while Jeff nodded frantically next to him. "Right after his audition. He never had to wait for his letter. He knew straight off. That's rare."

Rachel was a bit taken aback. "But… But then…" she stammered, "why didn't you go?"

"I chose to keep touring with the Warblers instead," Blaine explained.

Rachel bit her lip. "I see."

_She doesn't quite dare to say that it was stupid of me to give up my place at such a prestigious school, but she's surely thinking it._

Blaine smiled at her. "It seemed the right choice at the time, but I do sometimes regret it. Tell me about NYADA, will you?"

Rachel perked up and gushed about the curriculum, the professors, the amenities the school offered and the auditioning opportunities she'd had last year.

When she started detailing her audition for a chorus part in Wicked, Jeff chimed in again, and Blaine took the opportunity to whisper "Come with me, please?" to Kurt.

Blaine saw Santana waggle her eyebrows at him and mouth "Get it!", but ignored her, focusing on Kurt and Kurt only.

Kurt looked astonished to be singled out, but stood up readily. Blaine smiled at him sunnily and risked taking Kurt's hand to lead him further down the corridor. As soon as their hands touched, Kurt's eyebrows flew up and his eyes went huge, but he didn't protest nor took his hand out of Blaine's, so Blaine counted that as a win.

When they were out of sight and earshot of the others, Blaine stopped and reluctantly let go of Kurt's hand.

"Kurt…" Blaine trailed off. "I don't know how long I have until someone comes barging in again, so I'm just going to come right out and say it…"

Kurt tilted his head slightly, his poker face on now, still not saying a word, but listening attentively.

"I like you, Kurt," Blaine pressed on desperately. "I like you a lot, and I'm so glad I got to see you again today. Thank you for coming to my concert, even if it's clearly not your thing."

Kurt flushed prettily, and hastened to defend himself. "It's not your music. I like your songs well enough, and the new one was beautiful and very moving. It's just… I hate crowds. I hate people screaming all around me, and jostling me. I prefer quieter outings, with a more cultured audience, like a Broadway show."

A split second later, Kurt added as an afterthought, "Wow, that sounded snobby."

Blaine chuckled. "I like Broadway too. I once dreamed of going to NYADA and then becoming the next big star on Broadway."

Kurt nodded. "I can totally see that happening. You already have the tap dancing down pat."

They both burst out laughing, remembering the duet with Rachel.

"She's quite something, Rachel," Blaine mused.

"She is," Kurt agreed, "but she's too well aware of it. I wasn't kidding about her head being inflated to the point where it could pop any minute."

Blaine laughed again. "You're good friends?"

Kurt scoffed. "Hardly. Rachel's best friend is her ambition. Everyone else, even her boyfriend, comes second to that. It's a wonder she and Finn are still together, what with my brother being such a homebody and staying here in Ohio and working at my dad's garage. Now Rachel comes back to Ohio for the holidays, but I'm sure that if Rachel made it big on Broadway, she'd never come home again and drop Finn like a hot potato."

Blaine whistled. "That's harsh. And I don't know if it's entirely true. Yes, I can see she's ambitious, but I can also see that she loves Finn very much."

"Well, maybe she'll keep Finn hanging for ten years or so," Kurt amended, "and then come back to Ohio when she has a few big roles under her belt and a Tony on her mantel piece. And she'll settle down and get married to Finn and spend every minute of every day making him feel that this is a big sacrifice on her part, and drill her children in singing and dancing and acting pretty much from the moment they're born. And God forbid they take after Finn and can't dance to save their lives. We'd never hear the end of it!"

Blaine threw his head back and laughed. When he'd caught his breath again, he said, "Don't borrow trouble. Things might turn out more positive than you're sketching them right now."

"A half-full glass kind of guy, are you?" Kurt asked, his eyes twinkling.

"Very much so," Blaine grinned. "Well, in fact, it's more that I keep my expectations low and that I try to appreciate everything life brings."

"A lovely outlook on life," Kurt approved, smiling.

"So I was wondering…" Blaine hesitated.

Kurt cocked his head to the right. "Yes?"

"I'd like to keep in touch with you," Blaine admitted. "Get to know you better. If I give you my phone number, can you promise not to leak it on the internet?"

Kurt grinned impishly. "You mean you wouldn't appreciate getting millions of phone calls from fan girls throwing themselves at you left, right and center?"

Blaine blanched and shuddered and shook his head emphatically. "No! No, definitely not!"

Kurt put a hand on Blaine's arm, the warm touch seeping through Blaine's polo shirt and raising goose bumps. "Hey, I was kidding. I would never leak it. I promise."

Blaine beamed at Kurt. "So can I borrow your phone for a minute?"

Kurt handed it over, and Blaine put in his digits.

"What name will you save the contact under?" Kurt asked.

Blaine looked up, startled.

"You had better not put Blaine," Kurt warned him. "Rachel's going to snoop, I just know it."

Blaine huffed out a breath, temporarily stumped.

"I know!" Kurt exclaimed. He took his phone back and saved the contact as "Robin".

"Robin?" Blaine inquired, puzzled. "Do I look like a sidekick to you?"

"No, no, it has nothing to do with Batman," Kurt assured him. "It's just, if I had to pick a ringtone for you, I'd choose Rocking Robin, by Bobby Day. That suits you. Hence Robin."

"Robin, huh?" Blaine chuckled, and bowed his head in acknowledgement. "I'll take it. Yes."

Kurt flashed him a warm smile. "You're probably right that I should give Rachel more credit. She told me you liked me right from the start, and I just thought she was delusional. She also convinced me to come to the concert. I would never have shown up if not for her. Nor would I have come backstage if she hadn't insisted upon it. But now I'm glad I did, and I'm glad that for once, Rachel wasn't making things up in her head."

Blaine felt his stomach swoop, and his grin must have been ridiculously large, but he didn't care.

"Thank heavens for Rachel then," Blaine said gratefully. "How can I ever repay her?"

Kurt snorted. "You already did, asking her on stage and singing a duet with her. She was in seventh heaven! You can bet she will scour YouTube tonight to see if anybody's posted video of the two of you singing together. She's probably dreaming of becoming famous overnight by now."

Blaine bit his lip. "It's not all it's cracked up to be, you know."

Kurt gave Blaine a piercing look and said softly, "Yes, I can imagine."

Someone loudly cleared their throat behind them, and Kurt and Blaine sprang apart hastily. It was only Santana, though.

"You guys are SO boring," Santana complained. "I thought I'd at least catch you kissing passionately, but all you two ever do is talk. Yadda, yadda, yadda. And not even about interesting stuff. Yes, Rachel fancies herself a big star. Anyone with eyes and ears can tell. So not worth wasting your alone time on!"

Blaine felt his ears burn with embarrassment and shot Kurt an apologetic look. Kurt, however, just rolled his eyes, and his lips twitched.

"Anyway," Santana drawled, "I'm going to steal the hobbit away from you, my pretty little elf."

Santana bopped Kurt's nose, and he took a step back indignantly.

"It's time for us to leave, B," Santana continued. "We'll be on the road for quite a few hours more before we arrive at our hotel. So give your porcelain doll a nice smooch and say goodbye."

"I'll be right there, Santana," Blaine promised. "Just… Give me another minute, please."

Santana raised an eyebrow, but acquiesced. "Fine. I'll give you five more minutes, and then I want to see you in the lounge, ready to leave, coat on and everything."

Blaine nodded meekly, and she left, but not before winking at him again over her shoulder.

Blaine turned to Kurt again, and shuffled his feet. "Well… This is it, then. I'm glad you came, and I loved getting to talk to you, though I wish we'd had more time."

Kurt smiled. "The busy life of a pop star. Rush, rush, hurry, hurry."

"Exactly," Blaine agreed. "So… You have my number. Text me or call me, if you like."

"I will," Kurt promised.

"Can I… Can I hug you?" Blaine asked.

Kurt beamed and held out his arms. Blaine stepped into them and immediately felt overwhelmed by the feel and the smell of Kurt. Blaine's head fit perfectly into the crook of Kurt's neck, which felt silky smooth and smelled slightly of roses. Blaine felt safe in the cocoon of Kurt's comforting body heat enveloping him, and he wanted to stay there forever, for surely this was the absolute nirvana and nothing could ever top this. And then Kurt pressed a soft kiss on top of Blaine's head, and oh… Scratch that! It totally could get better…

Kurt gently stepped away from Blaine and smiled. "Well, I had better get back to Rachel, and you had better not keep Santana waiting. It was lovely talking to you, and I will contact you. I promise."

"Bye," Blaine said sadly.

"_Au revoir_," answered Kurt. "'Till I see you again."

K&amp;B

**Jacob** **Ben Israel** SharpEyesandEars 2 hours ago

Check out Rachel Berry outshining our local pop star [link to video]! Rachel, dump the big lump and be with me, my queen!

**Chandler Kiehl** ForeverFab 2 hours ago

Flawless! Did you see the guy she brought with her? Not the boyfriend, the other one.

**Jacob** **Ben Israel** SharpEyesandEars 1 hour ago

That's Kurt Hummel. We were in high school together. Graduated the same year.

**Jacob** **Ben Israel** SharpEyesandEars 1 hour ago

Kurt was in the AV club. Best buds with Artie Abrams and Lauren Zizes.

**Jacob** **Ben Israel** SharpEyesandEars 1 hour ago

You two should meet. Both flaming gay with a voice to match.

**Chandler Kiehl** ForeverFab 1 hour ago

I wish… He's so dreamy!

**Jacob** **Ben Israel** SharpEyesandEars 1 hour ago

Quite the diva, though… Sharp tongue, too.

**Jacob** **Ben Israel** SharpEyesandEars 1 hour ago

Rachel Berry is allowed backstage! Your reporter follows to get the scoop. Stay tuned.

**Chandler Kiehl** ForeverFab 1 hour ago

Oh… Did Kurt go along too?

**Jacob** **Ben Israel** SharpEyesandEars 1 hour ago

Affirmative. Rachel, Kurt and Finn the Beanstalk.

**Jacob** **Ben Israel** SharpEyesandEars 55 minutes ago

Well, that's interesting… Guess who just came out of Blaine Anderson's dressing room half-dressed?

**Chandler Kiehl** ForeverFab 53 minutes ago

Who? Santana?

**Jacob** **Ben Israel** SharpEyesandEars 50 minutes ago

*Snorts* Hardly! It appears Blaine is as capital G gay as you are.

**Chandler Kiehl** ForeverFab 48 minutes ago

Whaaaaattt?! Tell me more! #intrigued

**Jacob** **Ben Israel** SharpEyesandEars 46 minutes ago

Sebastian Smythe just walked out of Blaine's dressing room. Sauntered past me with his shirt undone and his gulp open.

**Jacob** **Ben Israel** SharpEyesandEars 43 minutes ago

You know what that means: post-concert quickie!

**Chandler Kiehl** ForeverFab 41 minutes ago

Aaargh! #inaglasscaseofemotion

**Jacob** **Ben Israel** SharpEyesandEars 37 minutes ago

Busted and escorted outside… I guess that concludes my backstage report.

**Jacob** **Ben Israel** SharpEyesandEars 34 minutes ago

It was worth it, though. Blaine Anderson is gay! How's that for a scoop?


	9. Chapter 9: Interrogations & an Unwelcome

**Author's Note:**

**And we're nearing the end... This is the next-to-last chapter. Enjoy!**

**All my love goes once again to my much-appreciated beta VoyageAsia/ hkvoyage and the creator of the beautiful art that goes with this fic, pointless-lullabies . Thank you SO much!**

Chapter 9: Interrogations and an Unwelcome Surprise

As soon as Rachel was certain that Blaine was not coming back to sing them another song, she took Kurt and Finn by the hand. "Right. Let's go backstage. Kurt, get your letter out!"

Rachel steered them towards the nearest security guard, flashed him a winning smile and announced, "We're allowed backstage. Rachel Berry, Kurt Hummel and guest. Kurt, show him the letter."

The guard took the proffered letter and read it through quickly.

"All right, you can go in," he said gruffly. "Go straight through that corridor to the lounge. Blaine will meet you there."

Rachel beamed and tugged Kurt and Finn onwards.

When they arrived in the lounge, it was already occupied by nearly all of the Warblers plus Blaine's back-up singers. Kurt stopped short when he saw all of them, unsure of his welcome, but Rachel hissed "Come ON!" and announced loudly to all and sundry, "Hello! I'm Rachel Berry! This is my boyfriend Finn, and his brother Kurt. Blaine told me to come backstage after the concert."

_Sure he did… You don't actually expect them to believe that, do you? Sometimes I really wish Finn dated a nice soft-spoken timid kind of girl, not the tornado that is Rachel Berry._

One of the Warblers jumped up from the sofa he was sitting on and gestured for Rachel to take his seat, which she did with a royal nod, her nose up in the air. The Warbler then introduced himself as Jeff, and pointed out Nick, Wes, David, Santana and Brittany, after which he evidently considered his duty done and unceremoniously plopped down on Nick's lap.

Santana got up and approached Kurt, a curious glint in her eyes. "Kurt, is it? Come and sit down, I want to know all about you."

Kurt quirked an eyebrow, but didn't protest when she led him to the sofa. In the meantime, Finn had decided that if Jeff could sit on Nick's lap, he could take Rachel on his, and he was taking advantage of her abstraction while talking to Jeff to leave a trail of kisses from her right ear to the nape of her neck.

Santana pulled no punches but went straight for the kill, asking Kurt how old he was and what he studied and where. After inferring from Kurt's voice that he was gay and Kurt confirming that reluctantly - was she a homophobe as well? - Santana threw Kurt completely for a loop by remarking casually that she was glad Blaine had had the sense to pick a gay guy to crush on this time, instead of falling for another straight guy, as he usually did.

_Okay… Wait! What? Blaine is gay? Seriously? Then what was that incident on stage about?_

When Kurt tuned back into the conversation, he found that Santana was now grilling him about the number of boyfriends he'd had and whether or not he'd always had safe sex.

Kurt was so taken aback by this absolute stranger asking him all these appallingly invasive questions that he almost missed Blaine's arrival. It wasn't until everyone suddenly looked up and greeted Blaine that Kurt noticed him.

Blaine clearly came straight out of the shower. His curls glistened wetly, he smelled divine and he had changed into a casual but becoming red-and-black outfit.

Kurt smiled at Blaine weakly, his mind still whirling with what Santana had implied. Would it be true, what Santana was saying? Was Blaine gay and did he have a crush on Kurt?

_Oh, Hummel, don't be ridiculous, please. Blaine's a big star and you're a nobody with a weird girlish voice and a body that's all arms and legs. There's no way he'd be interested in someone like you._

Blaine was asking to be introduced to Finn, and Rachel did the honors. Finn, who clearly hadn't forgiven Blaine yet for asking Rachel on stage and paying her so much attention, did his best to crush Blaine's fingers, but Blaine never lost his smile.

And then - surprise, surprise! - the conversation turned to Rachel again, and how she was evidently a wunderkind for having gotten into NYADA. Kurt rolled his eyes.

_As if Rachel doesn't think highly enough of herself already… Please shut her up now or she'll be extolling her own virtues for hours. Loves to hear herself talk, that girl, and no topic she likes better than "me, myself and I". _

Apparently, Kurt had voiced his concerns out loud, since Rachel prodded him in the ribs, hard, with an offended look on her face. The pain barely had the time to register before Rachel committed the monumental faux pas of assuming Blaine had applied for NYADA but hadn't made the cut.

That had all the Warblers rearing on their hind legs, assuring her that Blaine had most definitely been selected, but had chosen not to attend the school and keep touring as the front man of the Warblers.

Rachel, thoroughly chastened, didn't dare remark that Blaine had made the wrong choice there, though her face spoke volumes.

Blaine didn't hold her assumptions against her and soon had her talking again, about NYADA and about the auditions she'd had so far. Rachel was just regaling Blaine and the others with a detailed description of her audition for a winged monkey part in Wicked, and Jeff, his eyes shining, was gushing that Wicked was his favorite play, when Kurt suddenly felt warm breath caress his ear, and shivered slightly in response. A whisper followed. "Come with me, please?"

It was Blaine, and he looked at Kurt pleadingly - _wow, that puppy dog expression should be illegal_!

Kurt inhaled rather shakily and got up. That earned him a blinding smile, and without further ado, Blaine took Kurt's hand to lead him away from the others.

_Wow! Okay… Kind of a touchy-feely guy, are you? Not that I'm complaining… This feels amazing._

As soon as they were alone, Blaine took his hand out of Kurt's again, and Kurt felt the loss keenly.

_Get a grip, Hummel! Don't you dare start thinking about soul mates and all that nonsense! You're worse than the fan girls!_

Blaine looked at Kurt rather nervously and fiddled with his fingers before launching into a speech about how he liked Kurt. A lot, he clarified. And he was glad Kurt had turned up, even though Kurt clearly didn't care for his music.

_Uh-oh… It's not your music I dislike, honey… I had better explain things._

So Kurt explained, and managed to sound both patronizing and snobby in the process. Blaine didn't mind, though, keeping the conversation going effortlessly and laughing at Kurt's snide comments about Rachel.

_He's so easy to talk to. Why can't regular guys that I meet in New York be like that? Yes, Elliot ticks all the boxes, ten times over, but he has Kyle. Why are all the good guys either unattainable or taken?_

And then Blaine hesitantly asked if they could keep in touch, saying that he'd give Kurt his phone number if he could trust Kurt not to leak it.

_Oh… Oh! That's… Wow!_

Out loud, Kurt teased Blaine about having so many fan girls who'd do anything to bed him, and Blaine actually shuddered at the thought. Kurt was quick to comfort him with a light touch, and to promise he could be trusted.

Blaine put his number into Kurt's phone, and Kurt devised a nickname for him so that Rachel wouldn't find Blaine's number.

They talked for a while longer, until they were interrupted by Santana, who told them to wrap it up, since it was time for Blaine to leave. She tapped Kurt's nose with her finger, and he stepped away from her with a glare so intense it could have set her on fire, but she never even seemed to notice.

Blaine pleaded with Santana to give him some more time, pouting adorably.

_How do you say no to that face?_

Apparently, Santana hadn't yet found the answer to that question, since she agreed to five more minutes, and then click-clacked away again.

Blaine thanked Kurt again for coming, and asked him for a hug, looking at Kurt from under his lashes, appearing bashful and younger than his years.

_Hugs I can do… The Hudmels specialize in great hugs! Come here, you!_

And Blaine came, nestling his head against Kurt's shoulder and wrapping his arms around Kurt, sighing ecstatically. Kurt smiled into Blaine's riot of curls, and impulsively bestowed a kiss on it.

_Uh-oh… That… That wasn't too much, was it?_

Blaine's arms tightened their hold, and Blaine sighed again rapturously.

_I guess not, then… This feels so nice… But Santana was in a hurry, and I don't want her to chew Blaine out for being late._

So Kurt stepped out of Blaine's embrace and smiled softly at how Blaine's face instantly fell.

_Isn't he just the sweetest? Aww!_

Kurt promised to contact Blaine, and that was it. Blaine walked away to his dressing room, looking over his shoulder at Kurt one last time, and Kurt smiled again, widely, and then hurried to the lounge again.

Rachel had clearly noticed Kurt and Blaine's absence, and her eyes glimmered with excitement and anticipation. She was quick to say her goodbyes to everyone present, promising Jeff he was welcome at the Berry's any time for karaoke and tap dancing, and bestowing exuberant hugs on all of them.

Finn and Kurt also took their leave of the Warblers and of Brittany - Santana was nowhere to be seen. The men all offered their fists to bump, except the most recent addition to them - the Ass-Groper - who flat-out ignored Rachel, Finn and Kurt, his nose loftily in the air.

As they were walking away, though, and Kurt glanced back, the guy was glaring at Kurt ferociously.

_What's bitten him?_

K&amp;B

Rachel vibrated with suppressed curiosity, but managed to keep her questions to herself until they were in Kurt's car and heading towards Lima. Finn had insisted on driving this time, so Kurt sat in the passenger's seat and Rachel in the back.

"Soooo?" Rachel prompted.

_And there we go…_

Kurt turned slowly to face her and quirked an eyebrow.

"Oh, come ON, Kurt!" Rachel wheedled. "I want to know why Blaine stole you away. What did he say? Did he kiss you?"

Now both of Kurt's eyebrows went up.

"Tell me!" Rachel commanded.

Kurt sighed. Rachel was like a dog with a bone, and would not let this go until he'd given her his version of events.

_Better edit it slightly, Hummel, you don't want her to think you and Blaine are romantically involved._

"Well, he thanked me for coming, and then we talked a bit. About you, in fact. He was very impressed with your singing. I told him you'd probably be up all night searching YouTube and Tumblr for video clips of you singing with Blaine."

Rachel squealed and rummaged in her bag for her phone. "I hadn't thought of that, but you're right. Somebody is sure to have filmed that and put it on YouTube, right?"

Rachel started typing furiously, and then let out a triumphant cry. "Someone tweeted a link to a video clip! Ugh, it's that horrid Jacob Ben Israel from high school… Dump the big lump? That's Finn, I suppose? Fat chance! Finn is my one and only, and you, Jacob, are nothing compared to him."

Finn briefly looked over his shoulder at Rachel, who blew him a kiss, and he gave her that trademark crooked smile of his.

Then Rachel read on, and suddenly, her hand flew to her mouth, and her eyes went wide in shock. "Oh my God! Oh no!"

"What is it, Rach?" Kurt inquired. "You've noticed that the color of your dress clashes with your cardigan? I could have told you that long before."

Rachel didn't even get angry at Kurt's jab. Her face had gone white and frantic.

"This is terrible. Apparently, Jacob sneaked backstage and caught Sebastian leaving Blaine's dressing room half-dressed, like they'd just had sex, so Jacob's now announcing loudly that Blaine is gay."

Whatever Kurt had been expecting, this wasn't it. Right, so that explained the Ass-Groper's animosity towards Kurt. And Blaine was apparently a bit of a Casanova, flirting with every guy in sight.

_I wonder how many guys he's given his phone number to. Well, it doesn't matter. It only goes to show that I shouldn't let myself hope for more. Friends, we can be, but I don't want casual sex, sorry. My father taught me better than that._

Then the seriousness of what Jacob had done sank in, and he gasped. "Jacob just publicly outed Blaine on Twitter? That IS terrible, I quite agree."

_I should warn Blaine! That's the least I could do!_

So Kurt whipped out his phone and composed a message to 'Robin', while pretending to Rachel he was checking out the situation on Twitter as well.

**To: Robin**

Someone saw Sebastian leaving your changing room half-dressed and outed you as gay on Twitter. His name is Jacob Ben Israel. Can you sue him for libel? Get his Twitter account suspended?

**To: Robin**

This is Kurt, by the way…

It didn't get long for Kurt to get an answer.

**From: Robin**

Too late for that… A local news station already picked up the story and called me just now.

**To: Robin**

Ouch… So what did you say?

**From: Robin**

That my manager would organize a press conference first thing in the morning.

**To: Robin**

Uh-oh… That doesn't sound good.

**From: Robin**

I won't deny I'm worried about the backlash I might be getting from my fans when they find out I'm gay.

**From: Robin**

But I'm ready to come out. I have been for a while.

**To: Robin**

Well, good luck! I'll be thinking of you tomorrow. I hope it goes well.

Kurt stowed his phone away again, not wanting to be found out by Rachel. Until now, she'd been distracted by Jacob's tweets and the comments on them, but she would notice if Kurt texted for too long.

Sure enough, after a long harangue against JBI and some fans who said they were disgusted that Blaine was gay, Rachel's attention turned to Kurt again.

"So the two of you were talking about me. And then what?"

"And then Santana came and said it was time for them to leave, so we hugged goodbye, and that was it," Kurt elaborated.

"You hugged?" Rachel squealed excitedly. "Blaine gives the best hugs in the world, doesn't he?"

Kurt hummed non-committally.

"And he didn't kiss you?" Rachel pouted.

Kurt chuckled. "No, Rachel, he didn't. He's probably together with that Sebastian guy anyway, if they're having quickies in his dressing room."

Rachel pouted even harder. "I could have sworn he was into you. I'm sorry I turned out to be wrong, sweetie. You must be so disappointed."

Kurt bit down a smile and remarked drily that he would live, and that, thankfully, ended Rachel's interrogation.

When they got to Lima, Finn dropped Rachel off first, and then drove to the Hudmel's.

The light was still on in the living room, where Burt and Carole were watching television.

"Did you have fun?" Carole wanted to know.

"Sure," Finn shrugged. "I'm hungry. Is there any food left from supper?"

Carole sighed. "In the fridge, honey. The white bowl."

"Thanks, Mom," Finn grinned, and hurried to the kitchen.

"What about you, sweetie?" Carole asked Kurt.

"I'll make myself a ham and cheese sandwich," Kurt answered, hearing his stomach growl impatiently at the thought of food. "We stopped by a burger joint on our way to Columbus, but I could definitely eat again."

Carole shook her head. "No, no, I meant, did you like the concert? You didn't seem too keen on going…"

"It was all right," Kurt assured her.

"And did you see that boy again?" Carole inquired.

Kurt nodded. "I did. We talked after the concert. He sang a duet with Rachel, can you believe it? She was so pleased!"

Carole laughed. "I can imagine. Well, I won't keep you. Go and eat before Finn's gobbled it all up."

Kurt joined Finn in the kitchen. The supper left-overs were long gone by now, and Finn was still hungry, so Kurt made grilled ham and cheese sandwiches for them both.

When every last crumb had disappeared into their mouths, Finn clapped Kurt on the back, yawned hugely, popped his joints and slouched out of the kitchen with a perfunctory "'Night!"

"Good night, Finn," Kurt answered, and went to join Carole and his dad on the sofa for a bit.

"You haven't eloped with that book guy then?" Burt asked.

Kurt rolled his eyes. "No. I'm pretty sure he's seeing someone. Rachel was very put out about it. She was planning my wedding already, and probably naming my children as well, and now it's all for nothing."

Carole giggled, and Burt let out a short bark of laughter as well.

"So what kind of music was it, anyway?" Burt continued.

"Pop music. Except for this one song that was slower."

"Not really your thing, then?" Burt inferred.

"I wouldn't have gone to the concert if Rachel hadn't made me," Kurt agreed. "But I had a good time."

"And you talked to the book guy after the concert, huh?" Burt probed.

"Yes, Dad. There was no eloping and no funny business of any kind. We just talked. He's nice. No airs and graces at all."

"Huh," Burt grunted. "Seeing someone else, is he? Then why does he get hearts in his eyes when he's talking about you?"

Kurt shrugged. "Maybe you need glasses, Dad. What are you watching?"

"Die Hard. The second movie."

Kurt wrinkled his nose and got up. "I think I'll pass. Goodnight!"

"Night, kiddo," said Burt.

"Sweet dreams," Carole smiled.

Kurt put his pajamas on and ran through his skincare routine, and then grabbed his phone and sprawled on his bed, intent on playing a few rounds of Candy Crush before he went to sleep. He was distracted, though, by a new message that popped up on his screen.

**From: Robin**

Thanks :-) Glad to get some support. Jerry's spitting mad about this, and Santana just sniggers and says it's ironic.

The text message must have been sent quite a while ago, right after Kurt's last message to Blaine, but Kurt decided to reply anyway.

**To: Robin**

That's unhelpful. And what's ironic about the situation?

Blaine replied promptly.

**From: Robin**

That people are now thinking Seb and I are an item when we're not. We did date, until a year and a half ago, and nobody ever cottoned on. Well, apart from some fan girls who shipped us.

**To: Robin**

So you're ex-boyfriends who still hook up every now and then, and this time, you were found out.

**From: Robin**

We weren't hooking up! He's been trying to get back into my pants all day, and when I got to my dressing room I found him naked in the shower, hoping to get lucky.

**From: Robin**

But I sent him away with a flea in his ear. No way am I taking him back.

**From: Robin**

He cheated on me. Not just once, but apparently the whole time we were together. "We never said we were exclusive."

**To: Robin**

Ouch. Also: ew! How long were you together?

**From: Robin**

From the Warbler's Christmas party during our senior year until I left the Warblers. So roughly four years.

**To: Robin**

That's a long time.

**From: Robin**

Yes. He was my first love. My first everything. It broke my heart when I found out he slept around.

**To: Robin**

I can imagine… Here's a virtual hug for you to make you feel better ('') ('')

**From: Robin**

Thanks! Though I much prefer your real hugs.

**To: Robin**

You're probably too far away for that now.

**From: Robin**

True. *epic pout*

**To: Robin**

Hey, no pouting! Focus on the good stuff: your concert was a huge success, you got to sing with the Warblers again and everyone liked your new song.

**From: Robin**

You liked the song I wrote for you? *happy now*

**To: Robin**

For me?

**From: Robin**

You were my inspiration, yes.

**To: Robin**

I'm your Chance Encounter?

**From: Robin**

You are. You intrigued me. Dazzled me. Delighted me.

**To: Robin**

You smooth talker… *blushing*

**From: Robin**

You have the loveliest blush. I wish I could see it.

**From: Robin**

Oh, I've got to go. We have a press conference to prepare for. *sigh*

**To: Robin**

The best of luck tomorrow! Good night.

**From: Robin**

Thanks. Sweet dreams x

Kurt grinned at his phone dopily for quite a while before he switched off the screen and laid it on his bedside table. He pulled the bed covers over himself and put the light out, staring at the ceiling with that same silly grin still on his face.

_Did he just flirt with me? He totally did, didn't he? _


	10. Chapter 10: The Press Conference

**Author's Note:**

*Sigh* And so it all comes to an end... I hope you enjoyed coming on this journey with me. I'm thinking of maybe writing a sequel to this story for next year's KHBB, what do you think? Yes or no?

One last time: heaps of praise for my brilliant beta hkvoyage and my amazing artist pointless-lullabies! Thank you so much, and I'd love to work with you again sometime!

I hope the Brittana and Finchel stans will forgive me for borrowing from their OTP's canon Glee scenes.

Oh, and did I say that one of the previous chapters was the biggest one? That's a lie! This one is... It counts nearly 5,000 words. Enjoy!

Chapter 10: The Press Conference

**Tina Cohen-Chang** MrsAnderson 16 hours ago

Did you guys see JBI's tweets? The NERVE of him!

**Eileen Hughes** BlaineWarbler4eva 16 hours ago

Jacob shouldn't have outed Blaine so casually, I agree. That's a huge invasion of his privacy.

**Tiffany Baker** TotallyTiff 16 hours ago

So true. Blaine deserves to come out on his own terms, when he's ready.

**Tina Cohen-Chang** MrsAnderson 16 hours ago

Are you all high? Blaine is NOT gay! You're not seriously going to believe anything JBI comes up with, are you?

**Eileen Hughes** BlaineWarbler4eva 15 hours ago

Well, he proved to be right about Quinn being pregnant, didn't he?

**Tina Cohen-Chang** MrsAnderson 15 hours ago

Ugh. You guys are insane. I'm not going to believe any of this until Blaine confirms it. He's giving a press conference tomorrow morning.

**Tiffany Baker** TotallyTiff 15 hours ago

Poor Blaine… He must be worried out of his mind right now. Some of the comments on JBI's tweets are nasty.

**Tina Cohen-Chang** MrsAnderson 15 hours ago

His REAL fans won't believe scandalous rumors and will continue to love and support him.

Jerry was pacing from one end of the tour bus to the other and back again frantically, huffing and throwing his arms in the air. "You CANNOT be serious! This is going to tank your showbiz career! I told you to keep your queerness firmly under wraps!"

"You told me not to mention my sexual preferences, so I didn't," Blaine corrected Jerry calmly. "There's a huge difference between choosing not to talk about my sexual orientation and downright lying about it. I was okay with not mentioning it, but I'm not going to lie about it, and that's final. If you have a problem with that, you can go."

Jerry's eyes bulged, and a vein on his forehead swelled ominously. "You'd fire me over this? I'm just telling you what would be the most sensible decision you can make right now."

"And I'm choosing not to go with that option," Blaine countered. "The truth is out, and I'm not going to deny it."

"You're making a huge mistake," Jerry warned him.

"That's possible," Blaine nodded. "If it comes to the worst and I have no fans left after tomorrow, I'll go back to school. I never got to go to college, and I want to."

"You're insane!" Jerry hissed. "Throwing away your career over this!"

"I'm counting on my fans being a little more broad-minded than you are," Blaine admitted. "That's a bit of a gamble, I agree, and if I prove to be wrong, I'll bow out gracefully. But I'm determined to reveal that I'm gay tomorrow. Whatever the consequences."

Jerry let out a frustrated scream. "This is madness! Ugh! There's no reasoning with you at all, is there? I'm done talking about this. I guess this is it then. It's been nice working with you."

Jerry picked up his laptop bag and stalked away with long, angry strides to go sit next to the driver, ready to step off the bus and out of Blaine's life, apparently, as soon as they reached their destination.

Santana, who'd kept very silent so far, let out a long low whistle. "Exit Jerry."

Blaine sighed deeply. "Seems like it, yes."

Santana leveled a piercing look at him. "You do realize that Brittany and I are going to be out of a job as well if you stop touring, right?"

Blaine bit his lip. "And the band too, yes, I know. On the other hand, you always knew this wasn't going to last forever. There are only two more months' worth of concerts scheduled."

Santana flipped her hair back. "Yes, but I thought we'd just have a few months off and that by February at the latest, your new CD would be out and you'd be making plans for another tour."

Blaine flashed her a smile. "You know me so well."

Santana returned the smile, and then outright laughed, throwing her head back.

"What's so funny?" Blaine asked, bewildered.

"How long were you and Seb together? Four years? Four years and a half? And in all that time, only those crazy Seblainers on Tumblr ever thought you two might be boyfriends, and no-one ever took them seriously, however much 'evidence' they produced. And now, a complete unknown posts a few tweets about you and Seb having a quickie after the concert and tells the world you are gay, and instead of telling him he's insane, everyone and their mother believes him. How ironic is that?"

_Huh… Yes, I suppose in a way it's ironic. And I can only imagine what Kurt will think if he sees the tweets._

Just then, his phone beeped with an incoming message, and right after that a second one.

_Another reporter? I'll check my messages, and if it's paparazzi annoying me, I'll turn off my phone until tomorrow._

It proved to be Kurt, though, who had seen the tweets that had started a riot, and who felt offended on Blaine's behalf and worried for him.

That warmed Blaine's heart, and instantly made him feel better. He told Kurt there would be a press conference first thing in the morning, where he planned on coming out, and thanked Kurt for his support. He hoped Kurt would text with him a while longer, and make him forget about this whole mess, but Kurt evidently considered his duty done and didn't reply.

Blaine sighed. Before, when that reporter contacted him, he never should have answered his phone. He'd seen it was an unknown number calling him, but he had hoped it was Kurt. His insides had turned to ice as soon as he realized he was talking to a journalist, and his skin had started to crawl when he heard what news story she was intent on ferreting out.

All those years of being careful around Sebastian, so that nobody would guess they were boyfriends, and now that he was single and not even remotely interested in Sebastian anymore, somebody spun circumstantial evidence into a story that outed Blaine and drew the attention of the media.

_Just my luck… I hope this won't make Kurt think I'm with Seb and have been leading him on… He's sure to be angry with me if he does._

Blaine sank a little deeper into his seat, distraught at the thought of Kurt hating him for this, and decided to focus on the press conference the following day and the statement he intended to give. He'd given the reporter the name of the hotel he'd be staying in, and told her the press conference would take place at 11 AM, in one of the hotel's conference rooms. He'd counted on Jerry to see to all the practical arrangements, but it would seem he was on his own.

_All right, then. First things first…_

Blaine called the hotel manager to book a conference room for the next morning and told her to show in any journalists that came for his press conference, which was scheduled for eleven o'clock on the dot.

Then he looked for a pen and paper and slowly started to write down his statement, scratching out certain words and sentences as he went along, frowning and shaking his head. By the time he was done, they were nearing Pittsburgh, and Brittany and Santana were making out heavily without paying any attention to the others present. Jerry still sat in front, next to the driver, his back ramrod straight.

Ten minutes later, they arrived at their hotel. Jerry got off the bus without another word to any of them. Without so much as a look.

Blaine sighed again.

_I hope this is not how my fans are going to react tomorrow…_

Santana and Brittany tumbled off the bus in a tangle of limbs, giggling and having no eyes for anyone but each other.

Blaine followed, and nodded at the bus driver with a smile. "Thank you, Paul. Good night."

Paul nodded curtly. "Night, sir."

Blaine eyed him uncertainly, still discomfited by Jerry's behavior and now questioning Paul's too.

_Does he feel disgusted by me now? He must have heard what Jerry was shouting._

Paul seemed to guess what Blaine was thinking, and his eyes crinkled. "For what it's worth, sir, my opinion of you hasn't changed. My nephew Charley is gay and he's a good guy. So are you. And I'll continue working for you as long as you need me."

Blaine swallowed thickly, touched by Paul's loyalty. "Thank you, Paul. That means a lot."

Blaine stepped off the bus and towards the entrance of the hotel. His phone vibrated in his jacket pocket.

_What now?_

Blaine took his phone out and flipped it open, and then his eyes lit up when he saw who the text was from. _Kurt! _

Kurt had responded to Blaine's last text after all, wanting to know more about the Sebastian situation, and Blaine was glad he got the chance to explain. It was as he'd feared: Kurt thought that Blaine and Sebastian were friends with benefits.

Blaine quickly set Kurt straight, and told him the whole humiliating story about Seb repeatedly cheating on him and behaving as though that didn't matter. As though Blaine didn't matter.

Kurt commiserated, and tried to cheer Blaine up by pointing out that his concert had been a hit and that everyone liked his new song.

_Everyone? So you like it too?_

That confirmation did make Blaine feel better, and he told Kurt he'd been the inspiration for the song, stepping into the hotel's entrance hall with a huge smile on his face, sending Kurt a few more texts that got increasingly flirtier. Then the hotel manager approached him to discuss the press conference, and he reluctantly said goodnight to Kurt and focused on the preparations for the next morning.

K&amp;B

**Tina Cohen-Chang** MrsAnderson 12 hours ago

It was on the television news! And apparently the press conference tomorrow is at the Sheraton in Pittsburgh. At 11 AM.

**Eileen Hughes** BlaineWarbler4eva 12 hours ago

So you're getting up at six in the morning tomorrow to go to Pittsburgh?

**Tiffany Baker** TotallyTiff 12 hours ago

Is Pittsburgh that far away? Googling… Ah, four hours and a bit. If you're going, count me in!

**Tina Cohen-Chang** MrsAnderson 12 hours ago

Okay! We'll leave at my house at 6.30 AM. Be there on time. I won't wait around for you!

**Eileen Hughes** BlaineWarbler4eva 11 hours ago

I'm coming along as well. Blaine will need all the support he can get.

**Tina Cohen-Chang** MrsAnderson 11 hours ago

Totally. I can't BELIEVE they're taking JBI's story for the truth. The guy's mental.

**Tiffany Baker** TotallyTiff 11 hours ago

There must be SOME truth to it, at the very least, or Blaine wouldn't organize a press conference.

**Tina Cohen-Chang** MrsAnderson 11 hours ago

Don't start, Tiffs! No speculating! We'll hear it from Blaine himself tomorrow. I still don't think he's gay. It must be a misunderstanding.

Blaine woke up to his phone beeping. He sat up groggily and blinked, trying to get his eyes to focus on the red numbers of the alarm clock on the bedside table. It was 6.30 AM.

_Who on earth is texting me at this hour of the morning?_

It turned out to be Kurt.

**From: Angel**

I couldn't sleep, and you're probably in the same boat. I can only imagine how nervous I'd be if I had to come out to the world at large.

**From: Angel**

I'm thinking of you, and I'm jittery with second-hand nerves.

**From: Angel**

When and where's the press conference, anyway? Will it be on television?

**To: Angel**

It's at the Sheraton in Pittsburgh, because that's where my next concert is, tonight. If by that time I have any fans left, that is.

**To: Angel**

And it's at 11 AM. Yes, it will probably be broadcast, though I'm not sure on what channel.

**From: Angel**

I guess you will lose some fans, yes, but not all of them. You might even get new ones. Become a gay role model.

**To: Angel**

We'll see… If things get ugly, I think I'll lay low at my parents' for a while, though my father won't be happy.

**To: Angel**

He's like my former manager: gays shouldn't draw attention to their queerness.

**From: Angel**

Wow. Your manager's homophobic?

**To: Angel**

Former manager. And yes, he is. He wanted me to lie at the press conference and swear I was straight. I refused. He quit.

**From: Angel**

Good riddance! Though it's probably a hassle to organize everything yourself now.

**To: Angel**

True. Though if I asked, Santana would help me, I'm sure.

**From: Angel**

So I take it she's not your girlfriend, then, as Tina seemed to think?

**To: Angel**

No, she's not :-) 100% gold star gay here. But Santana and I are close. We've been joined at the hip since kindergarten.

**From: Angel**

I'm picturing you and Santana as kids now. I bet you two looked adorable :-)

**To: Angel**

Hey, I resent your use of the past tense there… I will have you know I'm still adorable.

**From: Angel**

*snorts* There, there! *patting you on the head* Of course you are!

**From: Angel**

Well, I won't keep you. I'm sure you have a lot of preparation work still for the press conference, and I have to get going as well.

**To: Angel**

Okay… Thanks for cheering me up. I feel a lot more confident and positive now.

**From: Angel**

Anytime… Courage!

Blaine smiled at his phone and then star-fished on his bed.

_Well, a good thing about all this mess is that Kurt is resolutely on my side. And thinking of me, however platonically… I'd like to keep him as a friend, even if he never feels more for me. I wish I could have him with me at the press conference. That would boost my confidence like nothing else will. It would give me the courage I need._

Blaine joined Brittany and Santana for breakfast, but didn't manage to eat much, finding it hard to swallow.

Santana put her hand on his arm. "Hey… It will turn out all right, I'm sure. People are a lot more progressive these days than they were before."

Blaine raised an eyebrow at her. "Do you think they've changed that much in the past nine years? Enough not to beat me up this time around?"

Santana shuddered at the recollection. "I should have been with you. Why did I get strep throat just the day before the dance? If I'd been there, I'd have defended you."

Blaine smiled at her. "I know you would, my brave lady knight."

"Hey!" Brittany interjected. "Tana is MY lady knight."

"She was mine before she was yours, "Blaine corrected. "She rescued me many times in and out of school. Knights help everyone, you see, not just their true love."

Brittany cocked her head to the side, considering, and then conceded the point. "Okay, Tana can save you. If I don't do it first."

Blaine laughed. Their playful banter left him feeling slightly more light-hearted. "With you two by my side, this public coming out will be a breeze. Thanks, ladies!"

Brittany laid her head on his shoulder, and Santana squeezed his biceps. "Any time, B."

K&amp;B

**Tina Cohen-Chang** MrsAnderson 16 hours ago

Ready, ladies? Whatever Blaine says, we support him, okay?

**Eileen Hughes** BlaineWarbler4eva 16 hours ago

Of course we will. This won't change a thing.

**Tiffany Baker** TotallyTiff 16 hours ago

It won't. Blaine deserves to be happy, whether that is with Santana, with Sebastian or with Kurt.

**Tina Cohen-Chang** MrsAnderson 16 hours ago

Don't start again, Tiffs!

**Eileen Hughes** BlaineWarbler4eva 15 hours ago

Um, Tina… Have you noticed who just walked into the room?

From half past ten onwards, a steady stream of people started to fill the conference room. Some of them were newspaper journalists; others were radio correspondents or television reporters. The last category was easy enough to identify, since they brought along an entourage: a sound man and a camera man.

Yet there were also people that clearly weren't journalists. Blaine recognized several fans of his, and felt the hair on his skin prickle uncomfortably. How would they react to the revelation that he was gay? They had no doubt come to show their support. Would they stay to heckle and hate on him?

And then, a few minutes before eleven, Blaine saw two familiar faces enter the room. The first one made his heart leap to his throat in dread. The second made his stomach swoop and his lips curve up. Sebastian and Kurt. Why did they come?

Kurt took a seat in the back and looked around for a minute. Then, evidently bored, he opened his bag, took out a book and buried his nose in it.

Sebastian, meanwhile, strutted confidently to the front of the room and sat down on one of the chairs meant for Santana and Brittany, who'd promised they'd flank Blaine while he was facing the Spanish inquisition.

_What on earth does Seb think he's doing?_

Though it was still a minute or two until eleven, Blaine strode into the room, gesturing for Santana and Brittany to follow. He walked up to Seb and hissed, "What are you playing at?"

Seb shot him an innocent look. "What? The story's about me too, so it's only fair that I be involved in this press thing."

Blaine groaned. "Translation: let's embarrass Blaine in front of the press and make him look bad if he so much as grumbles about it."

Sebastian flashed him a smile. "I don't know what you're talking about, killer. Your equipment is more than fine. You've got nothing to be embarrassed about. The guy I fucked yesterday, though… So tiny you wouldn't believe. And he was very tall and muscled, so that came as a surprise. And not a good one."

Blaine felt a bit nauseous at how easily Seb made this about sex again, and how much he wished he could un-hear Seb's scathing review of his latest one-night stand.

_Too much information. Ugh._

"Let's get you a chair," Blaine told Brittany, and he went to fetch her a folding chair.

They all sat down, and Blaine turned his microphone on. Sebastian promptly did the same.

"Good morning, everyone," Blaine greeted their audience. "Thank you for coming here on such short notice. I organized this press conference because there were rumors about me and my former band mate Sebastian Smythe circulating on Twitter yesterday, and I got the impression that they caused quite a stir. So I gathered you here today to clear things up."

Blaine reached for his glass of water, since his throat had suddenly gone very dry. He took a sip, straightened his shoulders and then soldiered on.

"One: you're wondering if it's true that I'm gay. The answer to that is yes. Yes, I am gay."

Here, Sebastian interrupted Blaine to add, "And before you ask, yes, I'm gay too."

Blaine, momentarily thrown off balance by that untimely remark, frowned at Seb, but then continued.

"You may ask yourself why I've never mentioned this in interviews. Well, first off, I'm a private person. I don't feel comfortable discussing my love life in the media. Moreover, I don't think it's relevant. It doesn't change who I am as a person or as a performer. It's as intrinsic to me as my untamable curls or my eye color, but no more important than either of those details."

A murmur ran through the crowd, but Blaine saw a few people nod or smile appreciatively and breathed a bit more easily.

"Two: you want to know if Mr Smythe and I are in a relationship. The answer to that is no, not at the moment."

Blaine felt Seb's eyes on him, but Seb didn't add his two cents' worth, so Blaine continued. "I don't know what that person on Twitter thought he saw, but Mr Smythe and I did NOT have relations yesterday."

There was more whispering after that statement.

Blaine looked around the room. "I'm sure you have more questions for us, so we're here to answer them. One at a time, please. Raise your hand if you have a question, and I'll point to you when it's your turn."

Immediately, dozens of hands were raised. Blaine nodded at a balding man in a wheelchair in the front row.

"Mr Anderson, you said you weren't dating Mr Smythe "at the moment". Does that mean you have dated before?"

Blaine nodded again. "Yes. We were together for roughly four years. We broke up just before I left the Warblers."

The murmuring got a little louder. Blaine tried to ignore it and pointed to a stylishly dressed petite blonde woman in the third row.

She looked flustered at being singled out, and blurted out, "So you and Santana are not an item?"

Blaine could see both Sebastian and Santana rolling their eyes and suppressed a smile.

"No, Santana and I are not in a relationship," Blaine stated, and again the room hummed with hushed voices.

When Blaine moved on to the next reporter, the follow-up question was, "Are you seeing anyone else?"

Blaine cocked his head to the side, giving the query some thought. "There is someone I have my eye on. But I haven't asked him out yet."

Involuntarily, his gaze went to the back of the room, where Kurt sat, now no longer reading but intently focused on the interview. When he noticed Blaine's eyes on him, and lots of journalists turning around in their seats to find out who Blaine was looking at, Kurt went brick-red and squirmed in his seat.

Blaine quickly averted his eyes and let a tall bearded reporter ask the next question, which was if Blaine planned on cutting short his concert tour. Blaine had no such plans, and told the reporter so.

The man persisted though, pointing out that Blaine might lose a lot of fans, "especially in the more conservative states".

Blaine gritted his teeth. This was Jerry's argument all over again. "We'll see what happens soon enough. I'm not going to make any pre-emptive decisions."

"You're confident that your fans are going to be okay with this?" the reporter pressed on.

"I hope that it will make no difference to them. I haven't changed. I'm still me. I hope they'll support me through this media storm."

"Even though you've basically been lying to them for years?" the reporter continued his interrogation.

Some people in the crowd gasped at the journalist's audacity, and Blaine went through shock, disbelief, sadness and white-hot anger in quick succession.

_How DARE he?!_

Blaine didn't lose his countenance - years around his father had taught him that - but under the table, he clenched and unclenched his fists and then held his thighs in a bruising grip to keep his temper under control. "I have never lied about this. Ever."

"You made everyone believe that you were dating Santana," the reporter countered, looking smug when there were a few nods and whispers of assent.

"Santana is my best friend," Blaine stated plainly. "We're very close, and we always have been, ever since we were five and met in kindergarten. I have never pretended to date Santana though. I have always talked about her as a friend, which she is."

"You flirt with her on stage," the reporter persevered.

"I'm a performer," Blaine answered. "I flirt with the fan girls I serenade, too. Does that mean I'm in love with them? No, it doesn't. It's just a role I play, with no other intention than to boost their confidence and self-worth."

The reporter grumbled a bit after that, but didn't speak up again.

There were no more questions from the journalists after that, so Blaine thanked them for their time and sent them on their way. They filed away quickly, leaving only Blaine and his entourage, Sebastian, the fan girls who had shown up, and Kurt, of course.

Before Blaine could make a beeline for Kurt, Seb squeezed his butt and snaked an arm around him. "So, killer… What exactly did you mean by 'not at the moment'? 'Cause if you'd like us to be together again, I'd be willing to give it another shot, you know."

Blaine grimaced in disgust and was about to dole out a scathing retort when he heard a slapping sound and Sebastian's head suddenly lolled sideways and hit Blaine's shoulder.

Tina stood in front of them, looking absolutely furious. Not at Blaine, though, but at Sebastian, it seemed.

"How DARE you?" she fumed.

Sebastian held a hand against his smarting cheek and looked absolutely flummoxed. "What's bitten you?"

"Stop flirting with Blaine!" Tina yelled. "He said he was interested in someone else and looked right at Kurt, so you're not going to ruin things between them. I won't let you!"

Sebastian narrowed his eyes. "You think get to decide that, huh? Who are you, anyway?"

Tina straightened her stance, vibrating with so much anger that she seemed much taller than her stature and made Sebastian back away a pace or two. "My name is Tina Cohen-Chang, and I'm Blaine's biggest fan, so I'm looking out for him. He's much too nice to tell you off himself, but I can tell he doesn't want you. Not anymore. So back off and leave him alone. NOW!"

Sebastian shot her a look that was half irritation, half grudging respect, and slinked off with just a clap on Blaine's shoulder as a goodbye.

Blaine had to restrain himself from laughing hysterically. Tina was a force of nature. He should really tell her to stop slapping people in the face, but really, if he looked at it objectively, he owed her twice over. Her first slap had introduced him to Kurt, and the second had just gotten rid of Sebastian without any trouble.

"Tina," Blaine said softly. "Thank you for being on my side. Even after all of this."

Blaine gestured to the room at large.

Tina beamed. "But of course! Whatever makes you happy, makes us fans happy. And like you said, you haven't changed. It's just something more we know about you now."

"You'll be coming to my concert tonight?" Blaine asked.

Tina nodded enthusiastically. "I've never missed one, and I'm not about to start now. That new song of yours was amazing, by the way. Was it for Kurt?"

Blaine grinned at her. "Yes, it was."

A girl next to Tina sighed dreamily. "See? I told you, Tina. Klaine is so on!"

Blaine furrowed his brow. "Klaine?"

"As in Kurt and Blaine mashed together," the girl clarified. "A ship name."

She giggled. "Tina will be the captain of the ship and we'll be the rest of the crew. The Klainiacs."

"Oooh, I like that," Tina cooed. "See you tonight, Blaine! We have your back, don't worry!"

"Thanks, Tina," Blaine said fervently. "And thanks… Tiffany, was it?"

Tiffany's face lit up, ecstatic at being recognized.

"And Claire and Eileen," Tina supplied helpfully, naming the other two of her group of friends.

"Thank you all!" Blaine reiterated. "Your support means the world to me, so thank you very much."

They giggled in unison, said "Bye, Blaine", waved and walked away.

"Tina using her powers for good instead of evil," a voice next to Blaine said. "That's a nice change."

Blaine chuckled, winking at Kurt. "Does your cheek still hurt? 'Cause I'd totally kiss it better for you."

Kurt's cheeks bloomed pink like the sweetest of roses.

"No-no…" Kurt stammered. "It doesn't hurt anymore."

Kurt lowered his eyes shyly for a moment, and then looked up again, a determined look on his face. "You can kiss me if you want to, though."

Heart fluttering madly, Blaine smiled at Kurt. "I want to."

Blaine cupped Kurt's face in both hands and moved closer, brushing his lips against Kurt's lightly. Kurt's eyes fluttered closed, and when Blaine stepped back, Kurt chased his lips for another kiss, this one a bit deeper and more insistent.

Then they leaned their foreheads against one another's and grinned like loons.

"Klaine," Kurt remarked conversationally. "Hmm. It has a nice ring to it."

THE END


End file.
